No Ordinary Love
by LSpade
Summary: When the new guy has an eye on Melinda, what will she do about the fact that she has new feelings for him, too? How will she deal with the people who are trying to tear them apart? Will she be able to tell him her secret? Will he be able to handle it? R
1. Fast Friends

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over. Please enjoy!**

It was the first day of Junior year. Melinda Gordon walked in right before the bell rang. She quickly sat down in her group, not making any eye contact with her friends. It had been a rough day so far.

"For all of you who just walked in after the bell, this is a warning. Next time it's detention." Mr. Lawson stated clearly.

Melinda looked up when someone sat in the desk in front of her. Her eyes widened than quickly went back to normal so no one would notice. The guy in front of her was gorgeous. She quickly looked down at her desk when he looked up.

"Alright, role call. Atkins." Mr. Lawson started the class.

**(This pretty much tells you who's in the story. Other students in the class are not called because they don't really matter. : ])**

"Here." Vanessa Atkins said.

"Banks." he called.

"Here." Delia said.

"Benson."

"Here." Melissa said.

"Carlson."

"Present." Sarah said quietly.

"Caster."

"Yo." Shawn called.

"Castro."

"Here." Hayden said.

"Clancy." Mr. Lawson said.

"Which one?" The guy in front of her spoke out along with another guy.

"Daniel." Mr. Lawson replied.

"Here. And you can call me Dan." the other guy said.

"Alright. James." Mr. Lawson said.

"Its Jim, and I'm here." the guy in front of Melinda smiled.

_Oh my god. I love that smile. He's so hot!_ she thought to herself.

"Jim it is." the teacher said.

"Flaredy."

"What up?" Tim practically shouted.

"Gordon."

"Here." Melinda looked up at the teacher, then at Jim, who was staring at her.

She smiled shyly at him and looked away.

"McCall."

"Absent!" Kyle laughed.

"Very funny!" Mr. Lawson smiled. "Messer."

"Heeerrrrrreeeee!" Holly practically sang.

"Moreno."

"Marsupial!" Andrea said seriously.

Everyone busted out laughing.

"Really?" Mr. Lawson laughed himself. "Muldoon."

"Wish I wasn't here!" Matt said.

The class chuckled.

"Me too. Sheer." the teacher said.

"What a do?" Will said.

"And Tusch."

"I am here." Bobby said.

"Alright. Everyone's here. Now lets get talking about this class. Welcome TV Production."

Melinda sighed. It was only the second class of the day but she was tired of the teachers talking, although this teacher wasn't as boring as the others. He had the class laughing after the first sentence he spoke.

Jim mumbled something to himself and made Melinda chuckle. He looked up at her and smiled.

"What's you're name again?" she asked.

"Jim, yours?" he said in his velvety voice.

"Melinda." she smiled at him.

Melinda couldn't stop thinking about Jim. His name continued to resound in her head. Something about him just had her heart beating so fast. His voice had the butterflies in her stomach fluttering around. Everything about him was amazing. She came back to reality when Mr. Lawson said something.

"Alright. Lets get started in the studio. We need some people in the control room."

Most of the class went into the studio and some of the students were in the control room. Jim was in the doorway of the studio and Melinda watched him from in the control room. All period, that's how it was. Jim glanced at Melinda, and she glanced at him constantly.

"Melinda." she heard someone call her.

"Hey, Andrea." they walked out of the class together with their friends, Vanessa, Delia, Melissa, Sarah, Hayden, and Holly.

"I have a feeling that class will be lots of fun." Delia smiled.

"Yeah me too." Holly and Sarah agreed.

"Definitely." Melinda agreed, thinking about Jim.

They all had the same class next so they sat down together. Andrea texted Melinda when they sat down.

_I kno why yur gonna love that class.. _Andrea texted her.

_Why do yu think I will?_

_Becuz of that hottie Jim._

Melinda blushed. _No! that's not true! I really like tv pro._

_Mel, I kno yu. I saw yu staring at him all class period and it looked like he was checkin yu out too._

_Okay, maybe I do like him. But wat does it matter?_

_Well get yur flirt on becuz he's walkin in rite now._

Melinda's head snapped up from her phone and she blushed crimson again. He sat in the seat next to her.

"Hi." he smiled.

"Hi." she said quietly.

The teacher, Mrs. Papasso, did roll call and then lectured about what the class was about. Melinda was busy doodling in her notebook when a note was passed onto her desk. She unfolded the piece of paper and read what was written:

_Hey, umm, I was just wondering if it was okay if I sat with you at lunch. I don't know many people here since I'm new and I wanna make some friends. : )_

Melinda smiled at the words on the sheet of paper and happily wrote back:

_That is very sweet of you. I sit with a bunch of my friends.. If you're sitting with me, you'll make some friends in no time.. Lol_

Melinda glanced at Jim when she slid him back the note. After a few minutes, she had it again.

_Thanks. It means a lot. I'm really glad I don't have to sit alone. You just saved me from being a social outcast._

With every word he wrote, she smiled.

_You're welcome. Trust me, I know how that feels.. I was so relieved when I finally had friends.._

Jim wrote back:

_You didn't have friends at one point? I find that hard to believe. I know I just met you and all but you seem very nice and fun to be around._

Melinda sighed and began to tell one of her secrets, which wasn't really a secret anymore since all her friends new it now.

_I used to be a freak when I was younger. I had no friends and I was constantly pick on.. But now I don't have to worry about that._

Jim was kind of upset to think that people were mean to this girl. She seemed really great.

_Well I'm here for you if you need me. : ) anytime._

Melinda smiled brightly.

_Thanks.. I'll remember that._

Before they knew it, it was time for lunch.

"So, just follow me to the cafeteria and you'll meet all of my friends." Melinda smiled as they walked out of the classroom.

"Okay." Jim smiled back.

"Jim!" someone called out.

"Hey Dan." Jim said. "Melinda, this is my brother, Dan."

"Hi." Dan held out his hand.

"Hi. I'm Melinda." she shook his hand.

They all made it to the cafeteria and instantly, Melinda was bombarded by her friends.

"Everybody, this is Jim Clancy and his brother Dan." she introduced them. "Guys this is Vanessa, Delia, Melissa, Sarah, Shawn, Hayden, Tim, Kyle, Holly, Andrea, Matt, Will, and Bobby."

"Hey everybody." Jim waved his hand.

"Hey." Dan said.

Everyone got in line to get their lunches. Jim and Dan were suddenly fast friends with all of the guys. Melinda smiled to see him adapting quickly.

"Hey, that Dan guy is pretty cute." Vanessa told Melinda.

"I guess so. Why don't you go and talk to him?" Melinda said.

"I would, but I'm afraid he wont think I'm pretty or something." Vanessa said shyly.

"Vanessa really? You're crazy beautiful and you need to go and show it off." Melinda slightly pushed Vanessa over to Dan.

She gave her a pleading look and Melinda urged her to go on. Melinda smiled at how fast Dan's head snapped around when he saw Vanessa. They started chatting.

After getting lunch, they all sat at their usual table and enjoy their free time together.

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	2. Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over. Please enjoy!**

**By the way, at my school we have only four classes for half the year and then another four classes for the rest of the year. Each class is about an hour and a half. That's how the class schedule is in the story.**

Over the next couple days, Jim and Dan adjusted to everything quickly. It's like they've been there for years. Jim and Melinda were becoming very close. But little did they know, things were about to get a little distant.

They were in their third period class, Science. Everyone was doing a lab so they were all over the classroom. Jim and Melinda were messing around in the class with each other.

"Say your sorry!" Melinda said.

"For what?" Jim asked, playing stupid.

"For trying to tripping me!" she put her hands on her hips.

"I didn't do it!" he laughed.

"Yes you did." she stepped closer to him.

"No I didn't." he took a stepper toward her too.

"Admit it." she took another step.

"There's nothing to admit to." he took another step closer.

"Yes there is." she took one more step, and pointed her finger at him.

"No there isn't." he closed the space between them and gently grabbed her finger.

Their smiles faded and they looked into each other's eyes. Melinda's heart was beating so fast she was afraid Jim could hear it. They quickly pulled away from each other.

"I'm gonna go back to my group to finish this lab." Melinda said quietly.

"Yeah. Me too." Jim walked away when Melinda did.

At the end of the class, the students were waiting for the bell to ring.

"Hey, let me see your phone." Melinda said.

"Uh, okay?" Jim gave her his phone.

Melinda was looking through his phone and put her number in it. She accidentally went to his messages and her heart sank at what she saw. There were messages that came from someone names "Baby". She gave him back the phone.

"I put my number in just in case you wanna talk." she said sadly and walked out as the bell rang.

Andrea and Melinda had all their classes together. Melinda was rushing out of the class so fast, Andrea had to run to catch up.

"Melinda!" she called.

"Sorry, I was just trying get out of there as fast as I could." Melinda said.

"Why? What happened? I saw you with Jim and you guys looked like everything was going good." Andrea said.

"Yeah, well I was wrong about him." she said, kind of upset.

"What happened?" Andrea asked.

"Nothing. Lets just dropped it okay." Melinda said rushed.

"Okay." they walked into class and sat down.

"Alright class, lets settle down." Mr. Hastings said. "Today were gonna do a photo shoot. You guys are gonna go all around campus and take pictures of anything you want. You'll be in groups of five and each of you should take at least one photo. I trust you guys don't need super vision so grab your cameras and get going. I'll tell you what we'll do with the photos after everyone is back. Now go."

Everyone in the class immediately jumped into the assignment. Holly, Vanessa, and Melissa were in the same class so the five girls were a team.

"Hey! Lets take a picture here!" Holly exclaimed.

Melinda pushed her thoughts about Jim to the side and tried to enjoy time with her friends. Four of the girls climbed into a tree and did different poses. Andrea hung upside down from a branch, Holly sat with her feet hanging down beside Andrea and pointed to her as if she was on display, Melissa braced back on the trunk of the tree with her knees to her chest, and Melinda stood up on a branch pretending to point at something she saw further up in the tree. Vanessa smiled at her wacky friends and took the picture. They took a few more and headed back to class.

On their way, Melinda's phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and looked at who the message was from.

_Hey.. : )_ was what she read from Jim.

_Hey.. _she didn't want to be rude and not reply.

_Are yu okay? Yu left last period kind of pissed.._ Jim texted back.

_Yeah, I'm fine.. _she changed her mind after she already sent the message.

_Are you sure?_ he said.

_Actually, there is something I wanna ask yu.. Wen I was looking thru yur phone, I accidentally went to yur messages and I saw baby? So yu have a girlfriend?_ Melinda didn't really want to know the truth but she felt she had to.

_Oh, yeah.. Sort of.. I'm sorry I didn't tell yu.._ He replied.

_Yeah, yu should have told me.. And sort of? Either yu have one or yu don't.._ she was getting sad now.

_Well, we break up a lot.. Our relationship is complicated.._ he answered.

_Why is it so complicated? _she texted.

_Because she likes to get mad at me for everything.. And she isn't always nice.. _he said. This didn't make sense to Melinda.

_Oh.. Do you love her? _she asked, unsure.

_Yeah, I guess I do.._ he sent back.

_Oh.. But if she's the way you say she is, then why do yu stay with her? I treat you better than that.._ she said.

_Yeah yu do.. But she isn't always like that.. _Jim said.

_Jim, is all that she does to yu really worth it?_ Melinda asked impatiently.

_I don't know.. _was all he could say.

_Don't say you don't know. Yu do know but yu don't want to admit that yu let her walk all over yu.. _Jim didn't text back after that.

Melinda felt kind of bad for being so mean to Jim. She didn't mean to hurt him. But with the way she saw his relationship with his girlfriend, she thought she should step up and maybe open his eyes.

While she was driving home, she couldn't stop thinking about Jim.

"Just forget him, Melinda. He has a girlfriend and he loves her." she tried to convince herself. "But how could you love someone who doesn't treat you well? And how could she been so rude and snobby towards him? He's amazing and she wants to just use him? His love is being wasted on her. If only she was out of the picture and Jim loved me. Things would be so much easier. Ugh! He just had to add more complication into my life, right?"

Melinda kept mumbling to herself all the way home. Meanwhile, Jim was pacing up and down in his bedroom, staring at the last text message Melinda sent him. Maybe she was right. Part of him didn't want her to be right because he did love Stephanie. They've been together for two years. But the other part of him didn't want Melinda to be wrong because he had these strong feelings for her. He couldn't let go of what he was feeling. Even though it's only be a few days, he was falling in love with Melinda. Jim didn't know what to do. He continued to pace back and forth in his room until he decided he needed to talk to someone about it. He walked out into the hallway and next door to Dan's room.

"Hey, man. I need to talk to you." Jim sat down on Dan's bed.

"What's up?" Dan asked.

"Well, I think I'm starting to fall in love with Melinda." he said.

"That's great! Melinda is an amazing girl." Dan smiled.

"I know. But I'm still in love with Stephanie." Jim's face was covered in confusion.

"Honestly, I don't know why. Ever since you two started dating, she's been nothing but a pain to you and you know it. So why do you put up with her?" Dan sat down next to his brother.

"Well, Melinda says I let Stephanie walk all over me." Jim said.

"You actually talked to Melinda about this?" Dan asked.

"Actually, we argued about it." Jim sighed.

"I think you let Stephanie walk all over you too." Dan said, placing a hand on Jim's shoulder. "I think you need to let her go. You're too good for her."

"Yeah, I think you're right." Jim said. "Thanks for the help."

"Anytime." Dan smiled.

Jim went back into his room and thought for a minute before he called his girlfriend.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey Steph, It's Jim. We need to talk." he said.

"Well, I'm kind of busy right now." she said a little too rudely.

"Do you know when you'll have time to talk? It's important." Jim said.

"Cant you tell me now?" she asked, before giggling.

Jim's eyes narrowed. He heard another voice in the background. It was a man's voice.

"Stephanie, are you with another guy?" he asked angrily.

"Why do you care?" she asked.

"Why do I freaking care? I'm your damn boyfriend that's why!" Jim yelled. "You shouldn't be with another guy if you're with someone else!"

"Well, the heart wants what the heart wants." Stephanie said casually.

"You know what? I didn't want to do this over the phone, but since you couldn't be any ruder, I don't think I'll seem like the bad guy. We're done, Stephanie. I should have ended this a long time ago but I was hoping that maybe someday you'd change. I was the only who could put up with you're bullshit! Let's see who'll want a snobby bitch like you!" and with that, Jim hung up.

He was so pissed at the fact she cheated on him that he ripped his sheets in half. But he was also relieved that he no longer had to deal with Stephanie and her issues. He spent the rest of his night getting rid of everything that reminded him of her. She was officially out of his life.

Stephanie sat there and let the words seep in. They have broken up many times before but something seemed different about this time. What Jim said was harsh, but she knew it was true. He **was** the only one who stayed with her even when she was being a bitch. She shook her head as if she was shaking away the thoughts and assumed that this break-up was like any other. They would be back together again.

**REVIEW!**


	3. More Than Just A Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over. Please enjoy!**

The weekend had gone by fast. It was a warm, Sunday afternoon. Jim was over Stephanie and knew what he wanted, the same thing he's been wanting for weeks. He took out his cell phone and sent a text.

Melinda was in her bedroom listening to some music while surfing the web, when her phone vibrated. She looked at the name that was flashing on her phone. She hesitated on whether she should look at the message or not. After a minute, she read it.

_We need to talk. Its really important._ Jim wrote.

_Okay._ Melinda wrote back.

_Meet me at Joey's pizzeria and we'll talk there. _he said.

_Okay. I'm leaving in fifteen minutes._ She sent the message and jumped off her bed.

Melinda ran to her closet and pulled out something cute to wear. Then she applied some light make-up to her face and let her curly brown hair fall free down her back. Soon, she was in her car driving to the pizzeria. When she walked in, Jim was already there. He was looking extra handsome today, which caused Melinda to stop breathing. He spotted her and got out of his seat. She walked over to him and he pulled out the chair for her.

"Thank you." she smiled.

"You're welcome." Jim sat down.

"So, uh, what did you want to talk about?" Melinda asked curiously.

"I wanted to tell you about Stephanie." he said.

Melinda's face fell. The last thing she wanted to hear about was his girlfriend.

"Oh," she said.

"I wanted to tell you that she was cheating on me." he continued.

"Are you kidding me? Why on earth would anybody want to cheat on you? You are amazing! You're sweet, kind, smart, funny, and down right gorgeous! I mean come on! Is she like mentally ill?" Melinda didn't realize what she was saying until it was too late.

Jim blushed as Melinda turned crimson red from embarrassment.

"I didn't know you felt that way." Jim said.

"Uh, yeah. Well, um, I gotta go." Melinda stood up and was about to leave when Jim got up and gently grabbed her arm.

He quickly spun her around to face him and planted a sweet kiss on her lips. It lasted for a good while, though. When Jim pulled away, Melinda was in a daze.

"I feel the same way." Jim said quietly, his face only an inch away from hers. "I really like you."

"I really like you too." she said back, still dazed.

They sat back down and the waiter came with a pepperoni pizza and two sprites.

"I hope you don't mind. I ordered some food for us." Jim said.

"Nope. It's okay." she smiled.

They started eating their food.

"So what did you do when you found out what she did?" Melinda asked him.

"I broke up with her." Jim took a sip of his soda.

"What if she tries to get you back?" she asked.

"I'll have to tell her I'm not available." Jim took her hand across the table.

Melinda blushed. The rest of their lunch went amazingly. They talked about their lives, laughed at memories, and continuously stared at each other in awe.

"Hey, lets go for a walk." Jim said as he paid the bill.

"Okay. Anywhere special?" Melinda walked out of the pizzeria with Jim's hand wrapped tightly around hers.

"How about the boardwalk?" he asked.

"Sounds fun. But I need to drop off my car at home." she said.

"Alright. I'll follow you and then we can take my car." Jim suggested.

"Okay, lets go." Melinda jumped into her car and Jim got in his.

When they arrived at Melinda's house, Jim got out of his car and walked over to Melinda, who was out already. Suddenly, he placed a kiss on her lips.

"I missed you." he smiled.

"I missed you too." she smiled back.

"Lets go." Jim pulled her by her hand but she pulled him back.

"Wait, why don't you meet my mom. My dad isn't home right now and I want you to know at least one of them."

"I don't know, Mel." Jim had a look of dread on his face.

"Please. It'll only take a minute." she started to pull him towards the house.

Inside, Jim was stunned. The outside of the house looked normal but the inside was so elegant and sophisticated. He looked around with a smile on his face.

"I'm guessing you like the place." Melinda smiled at him.

"Like? I wanna move here." he laughed.

"Slow your roll there, pal." she grinned. "Mom!"

"In here!" her mother yelled from the kitchen.

Jim and Melinda walked into the kitchen and saw her mom making dinner.

"Um, Mom, this is Jim. Jim, this is my mother, Beth." Melinda introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Jim smiled and stuck out his hand.

"Oh, well it's very nice to meet you too!" Beth shook his hand in delight. "So, how long have you two been friends?"

"Well, its been a couple weeks and he's more than just a friend." Melinda explained smiling at Jim.

"Oh really?" Beth grinned. "Well, as long as my baby is happy than I'm happy."

"I sure hope I make her happy." Jim smiled sheepishly.

"Well, we're going to the boardwalk at Stetson Beach for a few hours, if that's okay." Melinda said.

"Alright. Are you going to grab dinner or shall I leave some food in the microwave?" Beth asked.

"Uh, I'll by some dinner." Jim said.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to do that." Melinda said.

"No, its okay. I don't mind." Jim smiled.

"Okay. You two have fun. And Jim, I look forward to seeing you again." Beth smiled.

"Likewise." he smiled.

"See you later." Melinda hugged her mom.

"Bye." Beth watched as the couple left.

Before they got in Jim's car, Melinda kissed him softly and hugged him. He hugged her back.

"You do make me happy." she said quietly.

"Then I'm doing my job." he smiled and kissed her again.

It took about forty five minutes to get to the boardwalk. When they were there, Jim held her hand while they walked. He didn't let go. Although they just got together, they were so comfortable in each other's arms. In the couple weeks they've known each other, they've learnt pretty much everything about each other as if they've been friends for years.

They caught each other up in their lives and they were having so much fun. They grabbed some dinner before Jim led Melinda to the shore and took off his shoes. She did the same and they walked along the edge of the water. Jim had his arm protectively around her and Melinda had her arm around his waist. They walked like that for a few minutes when suddenly, Jim stopped walking.

"What's the matter?" Melinda asked.

"Nothing." Jim smiled, dropping his shoes.

"Then why did you stop?" she was curious.

Without an answer, Jim grabbed Melinda by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She let out a little scream, dropping her shoes, and held onto his waist. He walked deep into the water and let her down, but still had his arms around her waist. He spun her around in the water. Melinda's arms were around his neck and she held on tightly. She started laughing, making Jim smile at the sound. He stopped spinning her and looked into her eyes. She looked back at him and their faces were getting closer and closer. They kissed each other softly at first, but Melinda could feel Jim's lips start to move against hers. She didn't resist. They stood in the water, kissing and holding each other close. The kiss lasted for a while. When they needed air to breathe, they pulled away. Melinda rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. That was the most breathtaking kiss she had ever had. Jim smiled and held her tighter. He never experienced anything like that before, not even with Stephanie.

"It's only been one day, but being with you is the most amazing feeling I ever felt." Jim said.

"You have no idea." Melinda looked into his eyes. "Its unbelievable."

"No kidding." he smiled.

Melinda shivered. They were soaking wet and it was getting dark. October was a chilly month.

"Come on, lets go. I don't want you to catch a cold." they got out of the water, picked up their shoes, and headed to the car.

"Uh, Jim?" Melinda said.

"Yeah?' he looked at her.

"We are completely wet. We're gonna mess up your car." she said.

"Oh yeah." he thought for a minute. "Wait, I have towels in the back from the last time I went to the beach."

They got to his car and pulled out the towels. They dried most of the water off and sat on the towels all the way home. He parked in front of Melinda's house forty five minutes later.

"I had an amazing time." Melinda looked at him and smiled.

"I did too." he smiled back.

"I don't want this day to end." she said sadly.

"Hey, there will be many more like this." he caressed her cheek with his hand. "I promise you that."

"Did you have dates like this with Stephanie?" she asked.

"I had a few with her but they were never this fun. She always found something to yell at me for." he sighed. "Like when I picked you up and took you into the water, she would have yelled at me for getting her wet and stuff."

"Why did you take all of that?" she asked.

"I don't know." Jim looked sad.

"Do you miss her?" Melinda asked nervously.

Jim thought for a while, which made her even more nervous. He looked at her and without notice, he leaned in and kissed her passionately. They continued to kiss. Jim pulled away.

"Do you think that if I missed her, I would be here with you?" he kissed her softly. "And kissing you like this?"

Jim kissed her passionately again, holding the side of her neck, and pulling her closer. She fisted the back of his shirt in her hand as they kissed. They pulled away.

"I don't know. I need more proof." Melinda smiled and kissed him again.

Ten minutes later, they were finally done saying goodnight. Jim left and Melinda walked into her house.

"Oh my god. What happened to you?" Beth asked when she saw Melinda.

"Oh, we were walking on the beach and then suddenly, we were in the water." Melinda said with a huge smile on her face.

"I take it you had fun." Beth smiled.

"I had lots of fun!" Melinda beamed.

"So is he a keeper?" Beth asked.

"Yes he is. Jim is so amazing. He's kind and sweet and funny. I really like him." Melinda said.

"Well then I see no problem with him." her mother smiled.

"Neither do I." Melinda smiled.

"Okay, you're father turned in early and I think I will too. We'll talk more tomorrow if you want. Goodnight." Beth kissed her on the cheek.

"Goodnight mom." Melinda said.

She went to her room and quickly stripped out of the wet clothes. After taking a shower and getting ready for bed, she realized she got a text.

_Hey babe, just wanted to say goodnite. _Jim wrote.

_Okay, goodnite.. : ) Cant wait to see yu 2morro.. _Melinda wrote back and fell asleep minutes later.

**I know, I know. I'm rushing it a little, but honestly, who would want to wait any longer for them to be together? REVIEW!**


	4. Interrogations

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over. This is kind of a long chapter. Lol. Please enjoy!**

Melinda woke up the next morning thinking the day before was all just a dream. But when she looked at her last text messages, she knew it was real. A huge grin spread across her face. She was now dating the most incredible guy ever and she was determined to not let him go.

She got ready for school and left. In the parking lot, she met up with Shawn and Andrea. They have been dating for a year now.

"Hey, Mel, haven't seen you all weekend." she said.

"Yeah, I was kind of busy." Melinda smiled. "Hey Shawn."

"Hey." he smiled.

"Doing what?" Andrea asked.

"Stuff." Melinda answered.

"Fine. Don't tell me." Andrea said.

"Girl, it's not your business. Leave her alone!" Shawn said.

"You don't tell me what to do!" Andrea yelled at him playfully.

Melinda laughed. They met all of their other friends in the usual spot, by the two tables together but away from the other ones. They would stand there every morning before the bell rings. Dan and Vanessa were together now. Its been two weeks. They were sitting and holding hands. Tim and Delia, together since three months ago, were sitting and holding hands too. Kyle and Melissa, together for almost a year now, were always kissing, not sucking face, but normal kisses. Matt and Sarah weren't dating, but acted like they were. They would hold hands and hug, but never called it official. Will and Holly were the same way. Bobby and Hayden had been together for two years and they were standing together in each other's embrace.

Everyone was talking to their significant other and everyone else. Melinda was standing by herself, watching all her friends being all couple like. It used to always be her and Vanessa, but after Dan moved here, Vanessa would be with him. Melinda was happy for her friend but was always sad to be alone. Every morning, they would see her standing alone and say the same thing.

"Don't worry, Mel. You'll find someone." Andrea tried to comfort her.

"Yeah, but remember, being with someone isn't all its cracked up to be." Shawn joked.

"Hey!" Andrea playfully smacked him.

"Oh yes, I'll remember that." Melinda laughed.

"Hey, listen to him. He's got a point!" Tim chimed in.

"Oh really?" Delia asked letting go of Tim's hand.

"You know I'm just joking babe." he kissed her.

"You better be." Delia smiled.

"It's gonna happen for you." Dan smiled, knowing the truth.

"I really hope it does." Melinda smiled back, knowing he knew.

"Hey, where's Jim?" Holly asked.

"Yeah, I haven't seen him yet." Sarah said.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I took a while. Woke up late." Jim smiled walking over to the tables and standing by Melinda.

"Speaking of the devil." Hayden laughed.

"Devil? Uh, I think she would have called me an angel." Jim smiled and turned to Melinda. "Spreading false rumors about me, are you?"

"Hey, I didn't say anything of that nature!" Melinda corrected him.

"So, Jim, how's the girlfriend?' Bobby asked.

"Um, I don't know. Let me check." Jim pulled out his phone and dialed Melinda's number.

Melinda's phone started vibrating.

"Oh, hold on. Someone's calling." she said, playing along. "Hello?"

"Hey, babe. My friends are asking how you're doing so I decided to call you and find out." Jim said into the phone.

Everyone gasped. Melinda tried not to laugh at their shocked expressions.

"Oh, I'm doing great. How is my boyfriend doing?" she asked.

"I'm doing fine. Listen I'll call you later, okay?" Jim smiled.

"Okay. Bye." Melinda said then hung up.

"You guys are dating!" Andrea exclaimed.

"Yes." Jim put his arm around Melinda.

"Since when?" Holly asked.

"Yesterday." Melinda said.

"What happened to Stephanie?" Tim asked.

"I'm done with her. She's a bitch and I would much rather have Melinda." he squeezed her tighter.

"Aww." everyone smiled, including Melinda.

"So is this what you were busy with all weekend?" Andrea asked.

"Yes." Melinda said then turned to Jim. "Speaking of which, can you show me what we were busy doing? I kinda forgot what it was."

"Oh right. Cant forget that." Jim grinned and kissed her sweetly.

"No, that wont do." Melinda said and kissed him passionately.

"Eww! PDA!" Vanessa yelled.

"Gross! Get a room!" Dan laughed.

"Jealous much?" Jim asked after pulling away.

"Oh yeah. Because I don't have anyone to do that with!" Dan said sarcastically.

The bell rang and everyone went to their first period. Jim walked Melinda to her class. He kept his arm around her the whole way, letting guys know that she was taken.

"Alright, I'll see you next period." Jim smiled.

"Okay. Bye." she kissed him sweetly.

"No, that won't do." he mocked her, and kissed her passionately.

"Okay… you… have to… go." Melinda said during the kiss.

"Come on, one more minute." he mumbled against her lips.

She gently pulled away and tried to push him away but he wouldn't let go of her.

"No, you're gonna be late!" she laughed.

"Who cares? I've been waiting weeks to be with you." he said.

"Weeks? You've liked me that long?" she asked.

"Yes. There's something about you that I find so attractive." he smiled.

"Okay, for that you deserve one more minute." she smiled and kissed him.

Jim went to class and Melinda walked into her classroom. Andrea, Hayden, Dan, Delia, and Shawn were already there. They all sat together. Melinda sat in her usual seat and got ready for class.

"When did you plan on telling me that you're with Jim?" Andrea asked.

"This morning and I did." Melinda smiled.

"Well that was quite a shocker." Delia said.

"Not for me." Dan smiled.

"Because you live with Jim!" Delia said.

"Anyway, how did it happen? What happened to Stephanie?" Hayden asked.

"Well, that bitch cheated on him and I guess he found out Friday or Saturday." Melinda said.

"It was Friday. After he came and talked to me about who to choose." Dan said.

"What are you talking about?" Melinda asked.

"Well, he came to me asking if he should be with you or her. And I told him you because she treats him like crap. And then I heard yelling coming from his room and then he was getting rid of stuff that reminded him of her." Dan explained.

"Oh. Well thank god you told him to pick me." Melinda smiled. "So, yesterday, he texted me and told me to meet him at Joey's. And when I got there, he told me about what happened and I told him how she was mentally retarded and how much I liked him. I thought I made a fool of myself so I was about to leave but then he kissed me and told me that he like me the same way. After that, we went to Stetson Beach and hung out there and then he took me home." Melinda explained her first date to them.

She couldn't stop smiling at the memory. If she could, she'd relive it again and again.

"Aww. That's adorable! You're so lucky!" Hayden smiled.

"Thanks, I know." Melinda smiled.

Class went by slow for Melinda. All she could think about was Jim. She continuously glanced at the clock wishing it would go faster. Jim's name was written all over the inside of her notebook cover along with Jim + Melinda and hearts. As soon as first period ended, Melinda squealed in her mind. She and her friends went to their next class. Mr. Lawson was not in the room when they walked in. As soon as Melinda walked in, she was Jim. A smile grew on her face. Before she could even sit down, Jim walked over to her, pulled her into a corner, and then kissed her. Their arms wound around each other as they kissed. The bell rang and they sat down in their seats.

"Alright, so finish your bell ringer, than lets go film the announcements." Mr. Lawson said.

After five minutes, everyone was scattered in the control room and the studio trying to produce a show. Jim and Melinda were in the computer room away from everyone else and talking. Melinda took his hand and intertwined fingers. They continued to look to see if Mr. Lawson was coming and when he wasn't around, they would steal kisses from each other. That's all they did throughout the period.

"I cant believe I spent weeks trying to work things out with her when I could've had you." Jim sighed.

"It's okay. You have me now and that's all that matters." Melinda ran her fingers through his hair.

"I know. It's just that we could have been doing this sooner." he smiled and kissed her.

"Don't worry. We'll be making up for all that lost time." Melinda smiled.

"Looking forward to it." he grinned.

"Good. Because we start now." she giggled and kissed him.

Mr. Lawson walked in to get something and saw them kissing.

"Um. I'm not grading you on how you make out." he joked.

They both pulled away and smiled sheepishly. They left the computer room and went back into the classroom. Class was almost over so they all got their stuff ready to go.

After school, Jim and Melinda were going to Melinda's house to meet her father. Since they took separate cars, they had each other on speaker phone to talk. Jim was nervous about meeting her dad. She tried to reassure him that everything would be okay but he couldn't calm down.

"Mel, he's not going to like me." Jim worried.

"Jim, if Mike and Maddie like you, than my dad will too. He uses them to check out all the guys I bring home." Melinda said.

"Who's Mike and Maddie?" Jim asked.

"My twin brother and sister. They're fourteen years old and they can tell whether the guy is good or bad. It's kind of weird. They're never wrong." she said.

"Uh, how many guys did you bring home exactly?" Jim questioned.

"Seven." Melinda joked.

"Your joking right?" she could hear a hint of jealousy in his voice.

"Yes, baby. I only brought home two guys before." she said.

"And how did those work out?" Jim asked.

"You'll never know." she smiled.

They arrived at Melinda's house and got out of their cars.

"Ready?" Melinda asked.

"No." he said.

"Too bad." she laughed and dragged him into the house.

They walked into the living room where her father was sitting.

"Dad. I want you to meet somebody." Melinda said.

He stood up and eyed Jim closely.

"Mike! Maddie! Can you come here please!" he called.

Mike and Maddie came into the living room. They looked at Jim and smiled deviously.

"Dad. This is Jim. Jim this is my father, Tom Gordon." Melinda introduced them.

"Hello, sir." Jim said nervously.

"Hello, Jim." Tom smiled, then turned to the twins. "Do your thing."

Mike and Maddie walked over to Jim and looked closely at him. They observed everything they could see.

"Interrogation time. Do you wanna go first?" Mike asked.

"No you." Maddie replied.

"Follow me." Mike left the room and took Jim into the dining room.

They sat down and Mike asked him some questions. His age, education, future plans, hobbies, illegal mishaps, and how he feels about Melinda. Then it was Maddie's turn. She asked him pretty much the same questions. She also asked him if he had any major issues, which he didn't. The interrogation was over and the twins reported back to Tom. Jim and Melinda were in the living room by themselves while the other three were talking.

"That was very awkward." Jim said.

"Well, it's over and now we get to see if you're good enough or not." Melinda smiled.

"Oh joy." Jim mumbled.

"Melinda, we're ready!" Tom yelled.

The couple walked back into the living room and braced their selves for the evaluation.

"Well, we talked thoroughly about this and we've come to a conclusion." Tom stated. "Mike and Maddie believe that Jim is a great guy. He has nothing that I should worry about and seems like he treats you very well. I approve."

Jim sighed in relief and Melinda smiled ecstatically.

"Thank you so much!" Melinda hugged her father and her siblings.

"You're welcome." Tom smiled and looked at Jim. "I look forward to getting to know you myself."

"Me too, sir." he smiled sheepishly.

"Well we're gonna go to Joey's pizzeria. Be back later." Melinda took Jim's hand.

"Bye." everyone said.

They walked out to the cars when Jim stopped her.

"Okay. I've met you're family. Now you're gonna meet mine." Jim dragged her into the car.

"No, Jim. You're parents aren't going to like me." Melinda tried to get out of the car.

Jim had pushed her into the passenger seat and stood in the way of her getting out. She was sitting on the seat and trying to push Jim away but he had his arms around her back, holding her in place.

"Stop fighting it Melinda." he laughed.

"No! I don't want to go!" she protested.

"If you don't go, I'm not going to hang out with you all week." Jim threatened.

"You wouldn't dare." Melinda stop struggling.

"Try me." Jim grinned. "If I had to go through it then you have to also."

"You know what? Fine. Don't hang out with me. Then you'll be missing out on this right here." Melinda pointed to her lips.

"That wont work. I'm not missing anything good." he joked.

Melinda gasped and playfully slapped his arm.

"If I'm not as great as your used to, then you can go back to Stephanie." Melinda teased him.

"Fine. Maybe I will!" Jim pulled her out of the car.

"Fine! I don't need you!" she said.

"I don't need you either!" Jim replied.

"Good!" Melinda started to walk away.

"Hey, Melinda." Jim said.

"What?" she turned around.

Jim smiled and opened his arms. Melinda smiled and ran to him. She jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. She had her head nuzzled into his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. He had his arms around her back and his face in her hair. She kissed his neck gently.

"I do need you. You make feel safe." she whispered.

"I need you too." he kissed her hair.

He set her on her feet and she climbed into the car. Jim got in the driver's seat and they were on their way to Jim's house.

**Yeah, it was a long chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Please review!**


	5. Better Off

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over. **

**Jim and Melinda are getting stronger over a short period of time, hence No Ordinary Love. They've spent practically every waking minute together. That's got to create some kind of bond, right? I skipped writing some of the boring parts and got right to the good stuff. : ) Please enjoy!**

Jim lived about ten minutes away from Melinda's house. They went to his house and she met his parents. She was nervous because his parents might think he's on the rebound with any girl because of Stephanie. Jim had explained the whole Stephanie/Melinda situation. From liking Melinda since the beginning to Stephanie cheating on him, they knew everything. They knew about the way he was treated throughout their relationship. Aiden and Faith started to get to know Melinda and, like her parents with Jim, liked a lot.

Over the next month and a half, Jim and Melinda were pretty much inseparable. They always hung out or talked on the phone or texted each other. The weekend came again and Jim was sleeping in late on Saturday due to the fact that he was up all night on the phone with Melinda. His phone started to ring, and assuming it was Melinda, spoke without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey babe. I miss you." he said.

"You better miss me." she said.

Jim became wide awake at the sound of her voice.

"Damn. I thought you were someone else." he sat up in his bed.

"Oh, so now who's cheating on who?" she asked rudely.

"What the hell Stephanie? I broke up with you. It's over. We're done." Jim stated clearly.

"You don't mean that." she said.

"The hell I don't. I'm tired of your crap. That was the last time I take you back. I've moved on. Go back to that asshole you were screwing around with." with that, he hung up.

Jim sighed. No way in hell would he go back to her. Not after how she treated him and definitely not after how Melinda treats him. He laid back down in bed and thought about the two years he lost by staying with Stephanie. He couldn't figure out what made him stay. After a few minutes without any answer he pushed it away and went into his bathroom to get ready.

Jim went downstairs and got something to eat. Dan was there eating too.

"Hey, man." Dan greeted him.

"Hey." Jim sat down across from his brother at the table.

"You slept a long while." Dan commented.

"Yeah, I was up all night with Melinda." Jim said.

"Score!" Dan grinned.

"Not like that. On the phone idiot. I respect her too much to ask for that now. It's only been like two months we've been together." Jim said before eating a spoonful of cereal.

"Perfect gentleman." Dan teased.

"I know you're not talking. You and Vanessa haven't done it either." Jim said.

"So?" Dan laughed.

"Perfect gentleman." Jim mocked him. "You heading out today?"

"Yup. Gonna go see my baby." Dan finished eating.

"Cool." Jim ate some more cereal.

"Are you?" Dan asked but didn't let him answer. "Wait, of course you are. You guys spend all you're time together."

"And that's a bad thing?" Jim asked.

"No, I just love teasing ya." Dan stood up from the table.

"Just go bother Vanessa. I'm sure she wont mind." Jim said.

"I'm sure she wouldn't either." Dan smiled before leaving to see Vanessa.

Jim finished eating and went to put his bowl in the sink. His phone started to ring in his pocket. The caller ID said, _My Babe : )_.

"Hey babe." Jim smiled.

"Hi handsome." Melinda said.

"Where are we meeting today?" Jim asked.

"Umm. I don't know. That's why I called you." she said.

"Is that the only reason you called?" Jim asked.

"Yup." she joked.

"Well fine then." Jim pretended to be hurt. "I'll see you at the park, okay?"

"Okay. I'm leaving in like ten minutes." Melinda said.

"Okay, see you later." he said then hung up.

Melinda was already dressed and ate her breakfast. She applied some make up and was out the door. Fifteen minutes later, she was at the park. When she got out of the car, she noticed no one else was there.

"Oh well, it'll just be me and him." she said to herself.

Melinda sat on the swing and looked at the sky. It was a beautiful day. It was a little chilly, but she liked it that way. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the quietness. Hearing the sound of a car, she opened her eyes and saw Jim step out. She smiled and waved at him. Jim walked over to her and kissed her softly. Then sat on the swing next to her.

"So what's planned for today? Just playing like a couple of kids in the park?" Melinda asked as she slowly swung back and forth on the swing.

"That's the idea." he smiled at her.

"Okay. But if we are kids, then I'm back to thinking boys have cooties!" Melinda laughed.

"Did you really believe that growing up?" he asked.

"No. But I'll believe it now." she smiled.

"So what happens if I touch you?" he asked.

"I'll run away." Melinda stopped swinging.

"Really?" he asked.

Melinda nodded her head. Jim stopped swinging too and reached his hand out to touch her. She jumped off the swing and started backing away from him. Jim smiled and stood up from the swing. He continued to walk towards her as she stepped back. Melinda started running away from him, so he chased her.

"I'm gonna go get you, Melinda." he laughed.

"No!" she giggled.

Melinda ran onto the jungle gym to try and get away from him. He trapped her in a part of the jungle gym where she couldn't get out.

"What are you gonna do now?" Jim asked as he closed the space between them.

"I don't know. What are you gonna do?" she smiled.

"Something that will make you think my cooties aren't so bad." he rested his hands on the bar behind Melinda.

"And what would that be?" she asked.

Jim leaned in and kissed her.

"Eww!" Melinda wiped her lips.

She gently pushed him away and ran off the jungle gym. Jim stood there and watched her. Melinda stopped and turned around.

"What's the matter, Jim?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "Didn't think I'd wipe your kiss away?"

Jim sat down on the jungle gym and dangled his feet off the edge like a sad little kid. Melinda sighed and walked over to him. She placed her hands on her knees and tried to look into his eyes.

"Jim." she said.

He shook his head.

"Look at me." she said.

Again, he shook his head.

"You're not gonna talk to me?" she asked.

Jim shook his head.

"Okay, then." Melinda was walking away.

Suddenly, she felt someone grab her by the waist and spin her around. She screamed a little and started laughing. Jim set her on her feet and she turned around to face him. His arms were still around her waist.

"Still not talking?" Melinda asked.

"No." he said.

"You are now." she smiled.

Jim pretended to zip his lips. Melinda crossed her arms across her chest.

"Then I wont either." she said.

They stood like that for a while, just staring at each other and not saying a word. Their heads started to get closer. Just as they were about to kiss, they heard a voice.

"So this is the tramp you left me for?" Stephanie walked over to them.

Jim and Melinda turned and looked at her. Melinda quickly dropped her arms to her sides, but Jim didn't let her go.

"She is not the tramp. You are." Jim said rigidly.

"Well, she took someone else's boyfriend. That's what I call trampy." Stephanie said.

"She didn't take anyone's boyfriend. We were over and still are." Jim said.

"I'm way better than her. She's not even pretty." Stephanie gave Melinda a dirty look.

Melinda looked down at the ground. Stephanie was unbelievably pretty. Melinda felt like she didn't stand a chance.

"You would be better than her if you actually knew how to treat me and stayed faithful. I don't need someone who thinks I'm a sad little puppy who needs to follow them around. You're not someone I need in my life." Jim stepped up.

"Jim, what the hell is wrong with you? You never had a problem with me before." she said.

"I always had a problem with you. I just never said anything." he said.

"One day, you'll realize that you need me and you'll come running back." Stephanie said.

"Only in your dreams." Jim retorted.

Stephanie left the park. Jim sighed and looked at the ground.

"What happened to her?" Jim asked out loud.

Melinda was still looking at the ground she kept thinking about what Stephanie said. She was right. Melinda was pretty enough, not good enough, to be with Jim. That's what Stephanie had implied. Melinda knew Stephanie wasn't right for him, but neither was she.

Jim noticed Melinda was still and quiet. He looked at her, and could see confusion and sadness on her face. He took her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked.

"She was right." she said close to a whisper.

"She was right about nothing." Jim said.

"No, she was right about me not being good enough for you." she couldn't look him in the eye.

"That's not true-" Jim started to say.

"Yes it is. You deserve someone better than me." Melinda said, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Tell me who could possibly be better than you? Tell me what you did to make me even consider being with someone else?" he asked.

"I'm not pretty enough, or showy enough for you. You need someone in your league. I'm not that girl." a tear escaped her eye.

"The hell you aren't." Jim said.

"I was fooling myself thinking someone as great as you belonged with me. I don't belong in your world." Melinda pulled out of his arms

Jim pulled her back and kissed her. Melinda pulled away slowly and a sob escaped her throat. She walked to her car. Jim followed her and gently pulled her by her arm. She turned to face him but didn't look at him.

"What are you doing?" his voice was breaking.

"Stopping this before it gets too far." she said. "Before you realize you can do better."

"No, Mel. Don't do this, please." he whispered, holding onto her hand.

"I have to." she cupped his face with her other hand, looking up at him. "You'll be fine without me."

"No, baby. I haven't felt like this since- I've never felt like this before." he pulled her closer to him.

"Jim, you'll find someone else." she tried to sound strong.

"I don't want someone else. I just want you. I want you, Melinda." he shed a tear as he spoke, which touched her hand.

She wiped away his tear and let go of him.

"Don't cry over me. I'm not worth it." and with that she got in her car and drove home.

Jim got in his car and started to let go of the tears he had been trying to stop. He couldn't believe she broke up with him. He was upset to think that she thought she wasn't good enough for him. Jim didn't know what he was going to do about this situation.

**Okay, have you ever been with someone, anyone at all, so much that you're already so close to them because you've learned so much about them? Well, that is exactly the point in the story. But yeah, this was the distance I was talking about in one of the chapters earlier. Anyway, review and let me know what you think.**


	6. Too Painful

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over. **

**Thanks for the wait everybody. Here's the next chapter!**

Melinda couldn't see through her tears. Once she got home, she ran upstairs to her bedroom and collapsed on her bed crying. She was glad that she was the only one home or everyone would be asking what happened. She wanted so badly to see Jim and take back everything she said. She wanted him so bad. Her heart ached to be away from him and know that there was no relationship anymore.

Part of her knew what she did was a good thing. She didn't have to worry that maybe one day, Jim would break her heart by wanting someone better. But then, part of her hated herself for it. She didn't really think Jim would ever leave her. He seemed to sad when she broke up with him. If he didn't want her, why was he crying? Melinda's head said she did the right thing, but her heart said she needed to get him back.

Jim tried to call her numerous times, he also texted her over and over again. But she never picked up. He left her messages saying he missed her and wanted her back. Jim was in his room laying in his bed thinking about the first day they were together at the beach.

_Jim had his arm protectively around her and Melinda had her arm around his waist. They walked like that for a few minutes when suddenly, Jim stopped walking._

"_What's the matter?" Melinda asked._

"_Nothing." Jim smiled, dropping his shoes._

"_Then why did you stop?" she was curious._

_Without an answer, Jim grabbed Melinda by the waist and threw her over his shoulder. She let out a little scream, dropping her shoes, and held onto his waist. He walked deep into the water and let her down, but still had his arms around her waist. He spun her around in the water. Melinda's arms were around his neck and she held on tightly. She started laughing, making Jim smile at the sound. He stopped spinning her and looked into her eyes. She looked back at him and their faces were getting closer and closer. They kissed each other softly at first, but Melinda could feel Jim's lips start to move against hers. She didn't resist. They stood in the water, kissing and holding each other close. The kiss lasted for a while. When they needed air to breathe, they pulled away. Melinda rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes._

A tear escaped his eye thinking about the first time Jim kissed Melinda like that. He sighed and went to his laptop and went to facebook. He saw that Melinda was online. He went to the box where it asked 'what are you doing?' and typed in:

_I miss her like crazy and I want her back. Please, come back. 12/05/10_

Melinda saw his status and started tearing up again. She got offline and went to take a shower.

Shawn saw Jim's status. The two were like the best of friends. He commented on it.

_What happened? _Shawn wrote.

_Text me.._ Jim wrote and logged off.

Jim laid back down on his bed and got his phone which started ringing.

"Hello?" Jim said.

"Hey, I didn't want to text so I just called." Shawn said.

"Oh." Jim said.

"So what happened?" Shawn asked.

"Stephanie came to the park where I was with Melinda and started saying crap like Melinda wasn't good enough for me and she believed it. Then Melinda was talking about how I'll find someone better, who's in my league and I'll forget about her." Jim's voice started to break.

"Aww, Man. I'm so sorry." Shawn said. "Do you want me to talk to her about it?"

"If it would help. I miss her so much." Jim said.

"Alright, I'll try to help." Shawn said.

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later." Jim said.

"Okay, bye." Shawn hung up.

Jim sighed. He thought about something that his parents told him on the Monday that had just passed. They gave him and Dan a while to think about it. They needed to tell their parents what they chose by tomorrow. Jim tried calling Melinda again, but it went to voicemail. He sighed and left a message.

"Who am I kidding. She's not changing her mind." he said to himself.

Melinda came out of the bathroom and saw that he called again. She listened to the voicemail he left.

"Mel, I cant deal with this. I need you. Please, I need you back. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Don't you miss me too?" Jim's voice was full of sadness.

Melinda dropped to the floor and started crying.

"Yes. Yes, I miss you so much. I need you back too. I miss you, Jim. I shouldn't have let you go." she cried to herself.

Suddenly, her phone started ringing. Without looking at the caller ID, she picked up.

"Jim?" she sobbed.

"No, it's Shawn." he said.

"Oh, hey." she tried to stop crying.

"I saw you guys broke up. What happened?" he asked.

"I did a stupid thing. I broke up with him because Stephanie said I was not pretty enough to be with Jim and that I wasn't his type. It made me think that maybe she was right. That Jim was just on the rebound and said anything to make me feel special. But I think I was wrong because he hasn't stopped trying to get me back for the past five hours." Melinda cried into the phone.

"Melinda, listen. Jim was not on the rebound. He broke up with her because of the shit she put him through and because he had strong feelings for you. Everything he said to you was true. Stephanie is a bitch. Jim wants you back really bad." Shawn said.

"I know. I have to make things right with him." she calmed down a little bit.

"Well, do it fast before he leaves." Shawn said.

"Leave?" she asked.

"Yeah, his parents said that Dan and Jim could move back to their previous home with their Aunt if they said yes. Jim had been thinking about it since Monday." Shawn said.

"Okay, then let me call him." Melinda said.

"Okay. Talk to you later." Shawn said.

"Bye." Melinda hung up and called Jim.

Jim turned his phone off and left it in his room when he went downstairs. His parents were in the living room. Jim sat on the opposite couch of his parents.

"I made my choice." Jim said.

"Okay. What is it?" Faith asked.

"I decided I want to move back home." he said looking at the floor.

"Are you sure?" Aiden asked.

"Yeah. There's nothing here holding me back." Jim said.

"What about Melinda?" Faith asked.

"We've decided to take a break. Maybe a permanent one." Jim answered.

"Uh, okay." Aiden said. "Dan is staying here. So it'll just be you."

"Okay, I'll start packing now." Jim went back up to his room.

He left his phone home when he went out to get packing boxes. Melinda quickly got dressed and drove over to Jim's house. His car wasn't in the driveway. She knocked on the front door and his mom answered.

"Melinda? What are you doing here?" Faith asked.

"Uh, I'm looking for Jim." Melinda said.

"I thought you guys weren't together anymore." Faith said.

"We're not. Do you know where he is?" Melinda asked.

"No. I don't know when he'll back either." Faith said.

Melinda's heart sank.

"Okay. Thank you." Melinda walked back to her car and went home.

She kept trying to call Jim but he wasn't picking up.

"Maybe he's done with me now." she said sadly.

The weekend went by slowly for both of them. Jim was done packing all of his stuff. All he had to do now was get his transcripts from school tomorrow. Jim was lying in bed staring at the ceiling. He knew he was doing the best thing for his self. If he stayed, he would have to see Melinda everyday and he wouldn't be able to that. Melinda couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about Jim. She to talk to him but she couldn't get a hold of him. She knew she had to move on and that's what she tried to do.

It was Monday, and Melinda was driving to school. She drove slowly, not wanting to leave her bed. When she got there, the bell rang so she went straight to first period. She didn't talk to anyone. The class dragged on as she expected. Melinda opened her notebook to take notes, saw the doodling she did, and sighed.

The bell rang, and Melinda walked to her second period with Andrea. Neither said a word. When she sat down, she saw Jim's seat empty.

"Alright, people. bell ringer, discussion, then show." Mr. Lawson explained.

After the bell ringer, while they were doing the discussion, Melinda started to tear up as she looked into the computer room.

"Alright. Let's get in there and get a show done!" Mr. Lawson shouted and walked into the studio.

Everyone started scattering all over the place. Melinda just sat there and stared into the computer room. All her friends looked at her in concern but didn't bother her. They knew why she was so sad. Mr. Lawson saw her and knelt down by her desk.

"Hey, Melinda. Are you okay?" Mr. Lawson asked.

"Yeah." she sniffled. "I'm fine. I'll be okay."

"Okay, are you sure?" he asked.

Melinda nodded and smiled. He smiled back and stood up.

"Hello, Mr. Clancy." Mr. Lawson said.

Melinda's head shot up and saw Jim hand Mr. Lawson a piece of paper.

"You're leaving?" Mr. Lawson asked.

"Yeah. Moving back to my hometown." Jim said.

"Well I've enjoyed having you. Even though you were too busy making out with Melinda." Mr. Lawson joked.

Tears started falling from Melinda's eyes. Jim looked at the ground and tried not to cry.

"Yeah." he sighed. "Can you sign this? I have to have all my teachers sign it and take it back to the office."

"Sure can do." Mr. Lawson walked over to his desk and grabbed a pen.

Jim followed him and saw Melinda sitting at her desk with her head hanging down. His heart broke to see her. She looked up at him and they stared at each other. She got up and walked over to Mr. Lawson.

"Can I go to the office? I don't feel too good." Melinda said.

"Sure. Hope you feel better." Mr. Lawson said.

"Thank you." Melinda grabbed her stuff and ran out of the room

"Here you go, Jim." Mr. Lawson handed him the paper.

"Thanks." Jim ran out of the room.

He didn't see Melinda anywhere.

"She must have gotten to the office already." Jim thought to himself.

When he went to the office, she saw Melinda talking to the lady behind the desk.

"Alright, you filled out the check-out sheet?" the lady looked at the sheet. "You can go now."

Melinda nodded and walked out of the other door to her car. Jim followed her and got in his car too. He started to follow her.

Melinda was crying too hard to see where she was driving. She didn't notice a car following her. She saw the park where she broke up with Jim and pulled into the parking lot. She got out of the car and ran onto the grassy field. She started crying harder and dropped to the ground, burying her face in her hands. Seeing Jim made it too hard for her to be at school and being at the park where they broke up was just as bad, but she couldn't drive with blurry eyes. Jim saw her and it broke his heart to see her so hurt. He wondered if she even wanted to see him. If she could handle talking to him. Jim didn't know what to do.

He walked over to her and started to pick her up off the ground. Melinda jumped when someone touched her. She gasped and her eyes widened as she saw Jim. He picked her up bridal style and carried her to his car. She wrapped her arms around his neck and continued to stare at his face as more tears fell out of her eyes. He placed her in his back seat and got in with her. Jim closed the door and looked at Melinda. She was still crying slightly. Jim wiped her tears away slowly as he shook his head. Melinda flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She started crying hard again. Jim wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Shh, it's okay." he tried to soothe her.

"I'm so sorry." Melinda cried. "I shouldn't have let you go. I missed you so much. I tried to call you but you never picked up. I thought you were done with me."

"No. I took my phone off so no one would bother me. I tried calling you but you didn't pick up. I thought you were done with me. Why did you break my heart?" Jim shed a tear.

"I thought that one day you would break mine by realizing that you want someone prettier or smarter or funnier, or just plain better." she sniffled.

"Let me make this very clear." Jim took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "NO ONE is prettier, smarter, funnier, or all around better than you in my eyes. You are the best thing that's ever been mine. I… I love you." Jim said.

Melinda sobbed and placed her hands on each side of his neck.

"I love you too. So much." more tears escaped her eyes.

Jim kissed her softly.

"Jim, please. Kiss me like you mean it." she said wrapping her arms around his neck.

He smiled and kissed her passionately. She kissed him back like she never kissed him before. They sat in Jim's backseat in each other's arms relieved to have each other again. Melinda had her arms around Jim and her head on his chest. Jim was stroking her hair out of her face rhythmically, which was making her sleepy. He could see her eyes starting to droop.

"Hey, lets go." Jim said moving a little.

"No." she mumbled holding him tighter. "Don't let me go."

"Mel, I'll never let you go. But the backseat is getting uncomfortable." Jim slid Melinda off him and opened the car door to get out.

Melinda pulled Jim on top of her as she laid down on the seat and kissed him passionately. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close.

"I love you." she whispered.

"I love you too." Jim smiled leaning his forehead against hers.

He helped her out of the car and walked her to hers.

"So your house or mine?" he asked.

"Your house. I'm tired of mine." Melinda smiled.

"Okay. See you there." Jim kissed her.

"Okay. Later." she yawned.

"Someone is tired." he smiled.

"Yeah, crying can be exhausting." Melinda smiled back.

"I'm really sorry." Jim caressed her cheek.

"It was my fault." Melinda pulled him to her by his jacket. "I caused my tears. Not you."

"But I was a part of it." Jim looked down at the ground.

"Hey," she lifted his chin up and looked into his eyes. "Don't blame yourself. We're together now and that's all that matters. Let's just pretend it never happened."

"Okay." he kissed her. "Lets go now."

Melinda got in her car and waited for Jim to take the lead. They pulled up into Jim's driveway a short time later. He took her hand and walked into the house. No one was home.

"What do you want to do?" Jim asked her as they sat on the couch.

Melinda smiled and gently pushed him onto the couch and laid on top of him.

"Ooh, feisty." Jim chuckled, wrapping his arms around her.

"No, stupid. I just want to lay here with you. Just to be in your arms." Melinda said.

She closed her eyes and nuzzled her head into his neck. Jim smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Okay." he whispered, closing his eyes too.

Minutes later, they were both sound asleep. That's how there afternoon was spent, just sleeping in each other's arms. Dan came home from school and saw them. He smiled to see that Jim and Melinda worked out everything and were together again. They were so cute lying on the couch that he pulled out his cell phone and took a few pictures and went upstairs to his room.

Jim woke up and started to move until he realized someone was on top of him. He looked down and saw Melinda sleeping peacefully. He smiled and kissed her head. He watched her sleep for a few minutes until she woke up.

"Hey there, beautiful." he smiled.

"Hi." she mumbled.

"Sleep okay?" he asked.

"Better than I have the pass couple of days." she looked up at him.

"I'm glad to hear it." he kissed her forehead.

"What time is it?" Melinda sat up, getting her phone off the coffee table and looking at the time. "It's 3:40pm. I have to go in twenty minutes."

"So soon?" Jim asked.

"Yeah. Sorry." she laid back down.

"Its okay. We have twenty minutes." Jim sighed.

Just then Faith walked in the door. She walked into the living room and saw them.

"Melinda. You guys are together again?" Faith asked.

"Yeah." Jim said.

"Jeez. I cant keep up." Faith shook her head and smiled.

"Neither can I." Melinda chuckled.

"Well it's good to see Jim happy again. I gotta tell you Melinda, out of all the girls Jim has talked about, you're the only I really like and makes him happy." Faith said.

"Well thank you. And just how many girls has Jim talked about?" Melinda smiled and looked at Jim.

"Like three." Faith said. "And that better be all. Melinda's a keeper, Jim."

"Yeah she is." Jim tightened his grip on her.

"I hope so." Melinda smiled.

"Alright, well I'll leave you two alone and start cooking dinner. Will you be joining us?" Faith asked.

"No. I have to look after my siblings until my mom gets home. But maybe another time, thanks." Melinda said.

"Okay." Faith said.

"I should be going now." Melinda stood up.

"I'll walk you out." Jim stood up too.

"Okay." they walked out to Melinda's car.

"See you tomorrow." Melinda wrapped her arms around his neck.

"See you tomorrow." Jim smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She tiptoed and kissed him.

"I love you." she smiled.

"I love you too." he smiled back.

They kissed again for a few minutes, then Melinda went home. Today had been a rough day, but turned out well. Jim and Melinda were both determined to never let each other go. They weren't going to go through another break-up. It was just too painful. But Stephanie wasn't going to make it easy for them.

**So, I hope you enjoyed it. I really want to know what you guys think so review and let me know. Thanks and I'll update as soon as possible.**


	7. Lets Go On A Trip

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over.**

**Sorry for having you all wait so long. Things have been pretty hectic lately and I didn't have much time to write. But here's the next chapter and I'm working on the next one. Enjoy!**

Melinda went to pick up her brother and sister from school, then went home and started cooking dinner. Her dad was on a business trip for a couple days and her mom was working extra hours that day.

Melinda was in her room that night doing the homework Andrea brought over since she left early. She was on the last part of her science assignment when her phone started ringing.

"Jim, I'm doing my homework." she said.

"Oh, are you almost done?" Jim asked.

"Al…most…done…" she wrote down the last sentence. "There. All finished."

"Good." he said.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she put her books in her bag.

"Climbing a tree." Jim said.

"Then how are you on the phone?" she asked.

"Headset." he replied.

"Oh, right. Why are you climbing a tree at 9:43pm?" she asked, glancing at her alarm clock.

"So…I…can see…you." Jim was grunting as he got to Melinda's balcony.

She turned her head and saw Jim standing by the door. She smiled and hung up her phone. She opened the door to her balcony and leaned against the door frame.

"Hey stranger." Melinda smiled.

"Stranger is not what I am to you." he took her hand and pulled her to him.

"And what do you think you are to me?" she wrapped her arms around him.

"Hmm…I would hope I would be your special friend." he smiled.

"Special friend? Not my boyfriend, but my special friend." Melinda chuckled.

"Boyfriend is too exclusive." he said.

"So we're not exclusive?" she asked.

"Nah." Jim joked.

"Jim! Seriously, stop joking." she gently slapped his chest.

"Who's joking?" he laughed.

"Really. You haven't called me your girlfriend or your girl or your baby in days." she pouted. "I need to hear it."

"Okay okay. Which one do you want to hear?" Jim asked.

"My favorite one." she smiled.

"Okay, my baby. Lets go inside before you freeze." Jim looked over her body, which was covered in only a tank top and shorts. "Don't you think it's too cold to be wearing this?"

"Inside it's warmer." she smiled and led him inside. "Plus, its comfortable and nobody sees me in it."

"I'm seeing you in it. And may I say, you look…" Jim paused for a second. "Sexy."

"Well thank you." Melinda's body started getting hot to think Jim was looking at her the he was.

"Do you think we'll get caught being up here together?" Jim asked as he pulled off his jacket and threw it on her chair.

"No. My mom was exhausted so she went to sleep and my brother and sister don't really care what I'm doing." she said.

"And your dad?" he asked.

"Is on a business trip for three days, today being the first day." she pulled him onto her bed and they sat down.

"Okay. But lets stay quiet. Just in case." he said, taking off his shoes.

"What would we possibly be doing that we'll be making noise?" she asked, even though she knew what he meant.

He looked at her with a devious smile. She felt butterflies in her stomach. Melinda wasn't sure if she was ready for the next step. She loved Jim and wanted to be with him, but didn't feel like she was ready. It was a big step.

"You know this is the first time I've been in your room, right?" Jim asked, looking around her room.

"Yeah. Now I have to see your room tomorrow." she smiled.

"No you don't want to see it." he said.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have mentioned it." she said.

"Well, I'm not letting you see my room." he said.

"I don't need your permission. I'm going to see it and you cant stop me." she challenged.

"You wanna bet?" he smiled.

"You'll let me. I have my ways." Melinda smiled, leaning against the headboard of her bed.

"Please, I can take you on." Jim said.

"Can you? I don't know about that, Jimmy. I can be pretty demanding." she smiled.

"Oh I've noticed. Like the time I bought some ice cream and I wouldn't give you any. Then you started attacking me for it." Jim reminisced one of their memories.

"Exactly. I'll just attack you again." she laughed.

"Oh come on. How many kisses do you think I can handle?" he asked.

"Not much, which is why it wont take me long to get to your room." Melinda said.

"Fine, fine." Jim raised his hands in defeat. "You win. I'll show you my room tomorrow."

"You knew I'd win." Melinda crawled over to him and kissed him.

"Yeah, I should challenge you more often if you're gonna attack me like this." Jim kissed her.

"Maybe you should." she kissed him again.

Jim smiled and kissed her passionately. He pulled her onto him as they made out. He laid back on the bed as the kiss got more intense. Jim traced her bottom lip with his tongue. Melinda hesitated on whether or not she should let him in. She decided to open her mouth and deepen the kiss. She moaned at how good it felt. She had her fingers threaded in his hair as he gently turned over so he was on top. Jim's hand reached the bottom of her tank top and almost slipped it in when she stopped him.

"No. I'm not…I'm not ready for that." she said quietly.

Jim sighed and laid down beside her.

"You're mad now, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes." he said. "At myself. I should have known you weren't ready. I was asking too much of you."

Melinda rested her head on his chest.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I want you like that but just not right now." she said.

"Don't be sorry. I'll wait as long as you need." he kissed her head.

"I love you." she snuggled closer to him.

"I love you too babe." he held her close.

"By the way, I don't mind if we kiss like that. It was amazing." she smiled.

"Yeah, it was." Jim chuckled.

Melinda looked up at him and kissed him, which led to the French kissing.

"Jim, it's getting late. I want you to stay, but you have to go" she said after ten minutes of making out.

"Yeah, I should. I'll see you tomorrow." Jim kissed her and got off the bed.

Melinda walked him to the balcony and kissed him one last time.

"Bye." she whispered, giving him a hug.

"Bye, babe." he kissed her forehead and then left.

Melinda locked the door and went to bed. She laid in her bed and thought about what almost happened.

"That was incredible. The most intense feeling I've ever felt in my life. I wonder how it would feel to go further. But am I ready to give myself to him? I don't know." Melinda thought to herself. "I'll know when I'm ready."

With that thought, she drifted off to sleep. The next day after school, the couple went to Jim's house. Aiden, Faith, and Dan weren't home so they had the house to themselves. Jim was stalling taking Melinda into his room. He didn't know why it was such a big deal to him but it was. It was just one of those weird things you just cant explain. But Melinda didn't forget. She was all over him about letting her see his room.

"Come on Jim. Please?" she batted her eyelashes at him.

"No. That's not gonna work on me." Jim tried to resist.

"If you wont take me then I'll go by myself." Melinda started walking up the stairs.

"Oh no you don't." Jim gently grabbed her by her waist from behind and stopped her from going upstairs.

"Jim! Let me go!" she laughed.

"No." he smiled at the sound.

"I'll kick you!" she joked.

"Do it!" he challenged her.

Melinda turned around in his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. She kissed him for a few minutes, leaving Jim breathless.

"Did I say kick? I meant kiss." she kissed him again without letting him catch his breath. "Are you gonna take me?" she asked.

"Uh, sure." Jim answered dazedly.

He let her go and she took his hand, leading him up to his room. Jim opened the door to his room and Melinda walked in.

"I love your room!" she looked around. "Cleaner than I thought."

"My mom is a neat freak. She yells at me to keep it clean." Jim replied.

"Good. I would too." she sat down on his bed.

Jim laid down next to her and closed his eyes. Melinda looked at him and smiled. He looked so adorable to her. She leaned down and softly kissed his lips. Jim jumped a little in surprise and kissed her slightly deeper. Melinda didn't resist. He gently pulled her onto him as they made out. They laid there in each other's arms kissing for a while until Melinda pulled away.

"I need to pee." Melinda giggled.

"Bathroom's right there." Jim laughed as he pointed to a door in his room.

Melinda walked into the bathroom and closed the door. Jim laid there and waited for her to come back out when Dan walked into Jim's room.

"Hey you're home." Jim sat up on his bed.

"Hey man. Mom wants to know if you're still going to move in with Aunt Kate." Dan said.

"Oh crap. I totally forgot about that." Jim ran a hand through his hair. "I already bought the plane ticket and everything."

Meanwhile, Melinda was finished in the bathroom, but didn't go back into the room. She heard Dan and Jim talking about him moving.

"Well what are you going to do?" Dan sat down next to him.

"Well I could go. But just to visit. I'll book the flight back while I'm there." Jim thought.

"Good idea. But what about Melinda?" Dan asked.

"I don't know. I don't want to leave her but I don't want to waste the money." Jim said.

Melinda listened carefully. She didn't want Jim to leave either, even for a few days. But she didn't want him to lose the money. She didn't know what to think.

"Well I don't know what to tell you, bro. You'll think of something. You always do." Dan patted Jim on the back and went downstairs.

Jim fell back on the bed and sighed. Melinda came out of the bathroom sat next to him.

"I heard what you guys were talking about." Melinda said.

"I don't know what to do." Jim sat up. "You're the deciding factor. What do you think I should do?"

"I don't know. I mean I want you to stay but you spent a lot on that ticket." Melinda sighed. "If only I could go with you."

"Hey. That's a great idea. You can come with me." Jim smiled.

"Really? You'd let me come?" Melinda smiled at him.

"Of course. It would be so much more fun with you there. You'll love Pennsylvania." Jim was ecstatic by the idea.

"Okay. But I need to get permission from my parents." Melinda said.

"Okay. I hope they say yes." Jim said.

"Me too." she smiled.

Jim pulled her face to his and kissed her passionately. Jim talked about his plan to his mom and she agreed. His flight was Friday morning and he had to know if Melinda was going to go by Thursday afternoon. Which means, that she only had two days get an answer from her parents and book her flight.

_Wednesday night_

"Hello?" Jim picked up his cell phone.

"Hey, Jim. I have some bad news." Melinda said, sadly.

"Oh no. You cant go?" Jim asked disappointedly.

"No, I cant. Sorry. But you should still go." she said.

"Oh, that's okay, I guess." Jim was laying on his bed. "I'm gonna miss you so much."

"Oh, you wont miss me that much." Melinda said.

"Yeah I will." Jim said.

"Hey, I have a question." she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Which airline did you choose?" she asked.

"Jetblue. Why?" Jim replied.

"Because I need to know which airline to book." Melinda smiled.

"Oh - wait, what? You said you weren't going." Jim said.

"Well I lied." Melinda giggled.

"You are the worst! You made me all disappointed for nothing. Oh, I'm gonna get you back." Jim said.

"Ooh, I'm so scared." she mocked.

"You will be. Just wait.." he smiled.

"Well I'm booking my flight right now. And I'm pretty tired so I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Melinda said.

"Okay. Goodnight babe." Jim said.

"Goodnight." Melinda smiled.

Jim made a kissing noise into the phone and Melinda did one back before they hung up.

Thursday night came and Melinda was all packed and ready. Maddie came into her room while she was reading a book.

"Hey." Maddie said.

"Hey. What's up?" Melinda put her book down.

"Nothing. Just wanted to say bye before you go on your trip. I'll still be asleep when you leave." Maddie said.

"Oh. Okay." Melinda could see how sad her sister was. "Hey, I'll only be gone a couple of days."

"I know but still. It's the first time we're going to apart this long." Maddie said.

"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll be back and it'll be like I never left." Melinda smiled.

"I hope so. Umm, can I ask you something?" Maddie said with uncertainty.

"Anything." Melinda replied.

"When you come back, can we spend some time together? Like, go to the mall or the movies or something. We haven't done that in a long time." Maddie suggested.

"Of course. I would love to. We'll do that." Melinda hugged her sister.

Jim was in his room making sure everything was set for his trip when his dad walked in.

"Hey, son." Aiden sat down on the bed.

"Hey, dad." Jim sat down next to him.

"So are you all ready?" Aiden asked.

"Yup. All set." Jim smiled.

"Good. Now when you get there, I want you to call me to let me know you arrived safely." Aiden stated.

"Got it." Jim said.

"And don't give you're aunt a hard time. Although you're the good one. Dan always made the trouble." Aiden chuckled.

"Yeah., okay. I'll try my best." Jim smiled.

"One more thing. You and Melinda better be careful. And I think you know what I mean. I know you're at that age where you cant wait any longer and things will happen. But please make sure you take precaution and take it easy. Wait if you can." Aiden clarified.

"Don't worry, dad. We will. Melinda is not ready for that just yet and I don't want to pressure her. Everything will be fine. I'm seventeen years old and pretty smart for my age." Jim reassured his father.

"Okay. Goodnight Jim. You're mother and I will take you to the airport in the morning to say bye." Aiden got up to leave.

"Alright. Night, dad." Jim gave a little wave to him.

The crack of dawn was creeping into his bedroom as Jim woke up to get ready. They had an early flight to Pennsylvania so they had enough time to visit. An hour later, Jim was carrying his suitcases downstairs to load them up into the car. A short while after, they were at the airport.

"Hey, Mel." Jim met up with Melinda and her mom.

"Hey. Are you ready?" Melinda asked.

"Yeah, just let me use the rest room." he said

Jim left to go to the rest room and Beth went to get Melinda's ticket. Aiden and Faith stood with Melinda while they waited for the other two to come back.

"Hey, Melinda. I just want you to know that we are putting a lot of trust in the two of you. Although it is not far away where you'll be visiting, you two need to be very responsible." Aiden stated.

"I know Mr. Clancy. I'm a little nervous about this trip." she chuckled lightly.

"Well, I know you'll be alright with Jim." Faith patted Melinda's shoulder comfortingly.

"Yeah, I am alright with him." Melinda smiled.

"What are we talking about?" Jim walked up to them.

"Nothing." Melinda said.

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Yeah." she said.

"Melinda." Beth called.

"I'll be right back." Melinda walked over to her mother.

"Yeah, mom?" she said.

"Here's your ticket." Beth handed her the ticket. "You'll be safe and careful, right?"

"Yes, mom. I'll be fine. Its Jim and his family." Melinda reassured her.

"Right. Now be careful. Don't do anything irresponsible and make sure to call me everyday." Beth said.

"I'll be careful. Nothing irresponsible and I'll call everyday." Melinda smiled and hugged her mother.

"Okay. You have to go." Beth said.

"Okay. Bye, mom." Melinda grabbed her suitcase.

"Bye, sweetie." Beth smiled.

"Bye, guys." Aiden and Faith called after the couple.

"Bye." Jim and Melinda said.

The two of them got onto the plane without any problems. Soon, they were taking off to Pennsylvania.

**Review!**


	8. There's More To It

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would **

**definitely not be over.**

Jim and Melinda were not on the plane very long. Jim was a little nervous because it's the first time he's been on a trip with his girlfriend. He and Stephanie never did anything like this. Plus, Melinda was more special to him than Stephanie was, so it made him a little more nervous than he was already.

Melinda was incredibly nervous. She never had a serious boyfriend until Jim. She never went on a trip with a boyfriend before. It was a big step for her. Jim looked over at her and noticed her shaking her leg and biting her bottom lip. He placed a hand on her leg to stop shaking it. She looked at him and gave a small smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded her head and continued to look out the window. Jim wasn't convinced. He placed a hand under her chin and made her look at him.

"Are you sure?" he searched her eyes.

She nodded again and smiled.

"Are you going to talk to me?" Jim asked.

Melinda thought for a minute then shook her head.

"Please?" he smiled.

She looked at him and shook her head again.

"Oh, I get it. You're getting me back for that day in the park, right?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders and looked out the window. Jim thought for a minute.

"Fine." he said. "Then I wont either."

Melinda didn't look at him and just smiled. Jim stretched his arms and gently knocked her in the head. She turned to him and was about to say something but stopped herself. She glared at him as he shrugged his shoulders. She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning back in the chair. Jim put the armrest between them up and rested his head in her lap. Melinda looked down at to see him smiling up at her. She shook her head and covered his face with her hands. He covered her face with his hands, causing Melinda to giggle. She tried to push his head off her lap but failed. They stayed like that until the stewardess came by with the snack cart.

"How are you guys doing? Would you like some snacks?" she asked.

"Hi. Uh, yeah. Can I get a bag of trail mix and a mountain dew?" Jim sat up in his seat.

"Sure can. Here you go." the stewardess gave him the snacks. "And for you?"

"Umm. I'll have trail mix too and a sprite." Melinda smiled.

"There you go." she gave her what she wanted and went on to the next row of seats.

Jim and Melinda looked at each other and smiled. Melinda started eating her trail mix. Jim grabbed her bag of chips and wouldn't give it back. Melinda tried to get it.

"Jim give it back." she laughed.

"Ha. You talked first." Jim gave her chips back.

Melinda took them and continued to eat without talking to him.

"Melinda." he smiled.

She ignored him.

"If you're not gonna talk to me, then you cant kiss me either." Jim said.

Melinda still didn't say anything.

"Fine. Then, I'll flirt with that cute chic in the row in front of us." he said.

Melinda looked at him in disbelief. Jim was about to talk to the girl when Melinda pulled him to her and kissed him.

"You have to talk to me if you don't want me to talk to her." Jim smiled.

"I love you." she kissed him again.

"That's better." he smiled.

"No 'I love you' back?" she pouted.

"I love you too." he kissed her.

"Do you really think that girl is cute?" she asked.

"What girl?" Jim smiled.

Melinda looked in the row in front of them. There were two guys and empty seat. She gently punched Jim's arm.

The plane arrived shortly in Pennsylvania. They rented a car so they could go anywhere without having to bother anyone for their car. The closer they got to Jim's aunt's house, the more nervous Melinda had become.

"Mel, can I ask you something?" Jim asked, taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at her.

"Sure." she replied.

"Why are you so nervous?" he asked.

"I don't know. I guess it's because this is the first time I've been on a trip with my boyfriend and I'm not sure if the rest of your family will like me." Melinda admitted.

"Honey, my family is going to love you. This is my mom's sister. They're practically twins. Aunt Kate will fall in love with you just like I have." Jim took her hand and gently kissed it. "Plus, it wont feel that different than home except for the fact that you wont see your family everyday. You'll be fine, okay?"

"Yeah, you're right. This will be a fun vacation." Melinda smiled.

Jim pulled up into the driveway of a huge, beautiful house. The house had two stories, stained glass windows, and was painted yellow. Melinda stared at the house in awe.

"Are you just gonna sit here or are we gonna go inside?" Jim smiled.

"Umm, I'll stay here." Melinda said.

"You're not going to sit here for three days." Jim climbed out of the car.

He walked over to her side of the car and opened the door.

"Come on." he held out his hand.

Melinda sighed and took it, stepping out of the car.

"Oh, Jim!" Kate exclaimed when she opened the door.

"Hi Aunt Kate." Jim smiled and hugged her.

"How are you?" she asked as they walked inside the house.

"I'm good. You?" he said.

"Never been better." she smiled and looked at Melinda. "And who is this?"

"Melinda." Melinda introduced herself.

"Oh, hi." Kate hugged her.

"Melinda is my girlfriend and we decided to visit you for a couple of days." Jim stated.

"Well I'm glad you did. I miss you guys." Kate smiled.

"We miss you too, Aunt Kate." Jim said.

The three of them sat in the living room and chatted a while.

"Rick will be home any minute." Kate looked at her watch.

"Good. Because before we left, he owed me twenty bucks for beating him at pools." Jim chuckled.

"You didn't beat me. I let you win." Rick walked into the living room.

"Hey, Uncle Rick!" Jim jumped out of his seat to hug his uncle.

"How's it going Clancy?" Rick hugged him back.

"Great. Things are great." Jim looked over at Melinda. "Uh, this is my girlfriend-"

"Melinda." Rick said quietly.

Jim and Kate turned to Rick with confusion.

"H-hi Rick." Melinda said as quietly as he did.

"You two know each other?" Kate asked.

"Uh, yeah." Melinda said quickly.

"How?" Jim asked.

"Uh, when we went to New York on a trip a few years ago." Rick said. "I was going to the corner store when-"

"When I bumped into him and dropped my stuff. He helped me pick them up and we exchanged names." Melinda interrupted them.

"Oh. Well that's cool." Jim said and eyed Melinda closely.

"Well, I'm only here for lunch then I gotta get back to work." Rick looked at Kate.

"Alright. We're having pizza." Kate smiled and walked into kitchen with Rick.

Jim started following them when he noticed Melinda standing in the same spot as if she was frozen.

"Melinda?" he said.

"Huh? Oh, umm, yeah." Melinda walked past him into the kitchen without looking at him.

The four of them sat down in the dining room and ate lunch. Rick and Melinda kept glancing at each other the whole time. Melinda barely ate her pizza. Jim noticed her distance. He could tell something was bothering her. Conversation grew between Jim, Kate, and Rick throughout lunch but Melinda stayed quiet.

"Okay, I need to get back to work. I'll see you all later." Rick stood up from the table.

"Alright. See ya." Jim said.

"Bye, sweetheart." Kate stood up and gave her husband a kiss.

"Bye." Rick said, then left.

"Umm, I'm not feeling well. Where can I lay down?" Melinda finally spoke.

"Upstairs. I'll show you." Kate offered.

"I'll take her. I know where it is." Jim stood up from the table."No. That's okay. I can find it myself. Thank you." Melinda left to go upstairs.

"Is she alright?" Kate asked Jim.

"No." he answered. "I'll talk to her."

Melinda found the spare bedroom and laid down on the bed. Tears fell out of her eyes as soon as she thought she was alone. Suddenly, she heard the door quietly open and Jim's soft voice.

"Mel?"

She quickly sat up and wiped her tears away before he could notice. Jim sat next to her and wrapped his arms around her. She let out more tears.

"Shh…" he soothed her.

They stayed that way for a while until Melinda calmed down.

"What happened, huh?" Jim wiped her face with his hands. "Why are you so sad?"

"I never thought I'd see him again." Melinda whispered, not looking at Jim.

"Who? Uncle Rick?" he asked.

Melinda nodded.

"What happened with him?" Jim asked.

"He saved me." she sniffled.

"What do you mean?" he was confused.

"He saved me… from… I was almost…" Melinda couldn't say it.

"Mel, just say it." Jim encouraged her.

Melinda shook her head. Tears began to fall again as the memories flooded back into her mind.

***Flashback***

_13-year-old Melinda was walking home one day after school when someone grabbed her from behind. She was pulled into a dark alley and pushed roughly against the brick wall. She screamed only to have a hand clapped over her mouth._

"_Quiet. No need to draw attention to ourselves." the man said._

_He was a tall, broad man with dark hair and dark eyes. You could smell the alcohol on him. He ran a hand up her leg to the button on her jeans. Tears spilled over her face as she tried to break free from his grip._

"_Stay still or this won't feel good." he whispered with a devious grin._

_He unbuttoned her jeans and pushed them down her legs. He pulled his pants down along with his boxers. Melinda tried to scream as loud as she could. Luckily, someone was passing by the alley and heard her screaming. Before the man could pull Melinda's panties down and force himself into her, another man grabbed him and punched him in the face. He was out like a light. Melinda fell to the ground crying her eyes out. The man who saved her slowly knelt down next to her and tried to help her up. She cringed away from him, thinking he was going to hurt her too._

"_Shh. It's okay. I won't hurt you." he said, quietly._

_Melinda looked up at him with fear in her eyes but let him help her. She leaned against him as she pulled up her jeans and buttoned them up. They walked out into the street and found a bench to sit on. They were quiet for a while._

"_My name is Rick. What's yours?" the man broke the silence._

"_M-Melinda." she sniffled._

"_Melinda, are you alright? Did he hurt you?" he asked._

"_He p-pushed m-me into a w-wall. M-my back hurts… a little." she replied._

"_Do you want me to call anyone?" Rick asked._

"_N-no!" Melinda looked up at him. "No one can know."_

"_But how are we going to put him in jail? He might attack you again if he's not behind bars." he placed a hand on her shoulder._

"_I can't handle the pity and having to be protected everywhere I go. I'll make sure I'm with a group of people from now on." Melinda said._

"_Melinda-" Rick said._

"_I have to go." she got off the bench and practically ran home, despite her injured back._

***End of Flashback***

"Melinda, what happened? What did he save you from?" Jim pleaded.

"From being raped." Melinda whispered.

**Yeah, I know this chapter was kind of short but REVIEW!**


	9. A Place To Feel Safe

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would **

**definitely not be over.**

"_Melinda, what happened? What did he save you from?" Jim pleaded._

"_From being raped." Melinda whispered._

Jim was frozen. It took him a minute to process this information. The thought of his love being hurt in the most terrible way made his blood run cold.

"Mel, when did this happen?" Jim asked.

"Three years ago." she whispered.

"Where exactly did he touch you?" Jim started to get angry.

Melinda was quiet, staring at the floor.

"Melinda." Jim clenched his jaw. "Where. Did. He. Touch. You?"

"He ran… his hand… up my l-leg. And pulled m-my jeans down… and touched between… my legs and…" Melinda couldn't speak through her tears. "And kissed… m-my neck."

Melinda fell to the floor crying. Jim was beyond pissed off. He wanted to murder the bastard that touched his Melinda. He didn't notice that his whole body was tense. His hands were balled into fists and his posture looked like he was ready to fight someone. Melinda could see how upset he was and got scared.

"J-Jim?" she scooted away from him. "Please don't."

"Don't what?" he stepped closer to her.

"Don't hurt me. I know I was stupid to be alone and I should have told someone but I was scared." she said shakily.

Jim sat down next to her and pulled her into his lap. She whimpered and tried to get away but he just held her tighter.

"Mel, I love you. I would never, ever hurt you." he kissed her forehead. "How could you even think that? It wasn't your fault. He's the one that I blame."

"I'm sorry. I'm just afraid that anyone will hurt me. I blocked that memory out of my mind for so long and I forgot about it like it never happened. But seeing Rick brought it all back. I don't blame him but now I'm scared all over again. After that happened to me, I stuck to my friends like glue." Melinda said.

"Honey, you have me to stick to like glue now. You don't have to be scared as long as you're with me. I will protect you." he leaned his forehead against hers.

"See." she got out of his lap. "This is what I didn't want."

"What do you mean?" he stood up too.

"I didn't want anyone having to worry that at any second, it could happen to me again. Or that I need a bodyguard. I can take care of myself just fine thank you!" Melinda steamed. "I don't need to be watched like I'm a damn baby!"

"Whoa. Calm down. Babe, I just wanna be there for you. That's all I meant. I want you to feel safe with me." Jim slowly stepped towards her.

"I don't want you to be burdened with this." Melinda shook her head. "We shouldn't have gotten together. You're gonna have to live with the fact that your girlfriend is a scared, paranoid girl who can't take care of herself!"

"It is no burden. And don't you ever say that again. We're meant to be together. I love you. My God, I freaking love you. You're not paranoid. It's okay to be scared and I have no problem protecting you. Just because you need someone to lean on doesn't mean you cant take care of yourself." Jim placed his hands on her shoulders. "You have nothing to worry about. I'm here."

Melinda knew he was right. About everything. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him passionately. He kissed her back.

"I love you, Jim. I love you so much." she whispered after they pulled away.

"I love you with all my heart." he replied and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

After Melinda spent a few minutes in the bathroom rinsing her face, the couple went back downstairs.

"Oh, hi. Is everything okay?" Kate asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine." Melinda smiled. "I just had to relax for a while."

"Okay. So, listen. I have to run to the store. You two alright by yourselves?" Kate grabbed her purse off the table by the door.

"Yeah. We'll be fine." Jim said.

"Alright. See you guys later." Kate smiled then left.

"Jim?" Melinda grabbed his hand.

"Yeah?" he squeezed her hand, turning back to her.

"A year after the incident," Melinda looked down at the floor. "The guy was arrested for committing the same crime. He had multiple victims that he got further with then me. Seeing him on the news made me feel so relieved that he wont come back and try to hurt me again. That made me forget about it because I didn't have to worry. Seeing Rick just made me remember everything. What I went through and how I felt. I never wanted you to know because you might look at me differently than you do now."

"Do you know what I see?" Jim looked into her eyes.

She shook her head.

"I see this brilliant, funny, kind, beautiful girl with the most amazing eyes and soft hair. She has this strong ability to make me forget my name and give me the most amazing feelings. I see the girl that I cant live without. I saw the same girl this morning and I'm looking at her right now. Nothing has changed my vision of you." Jim gently stroked her cheek.

"Nothing has changed at all. You just know another part of my past. Now we can just forget about it and act like it never happened." Melinda smiled.

"Good idea. We never had that talk." Jim wrapped her in his arms.

"What talk?" she smiled against his chest.

"That's my girl." he kissed the top of her head.

***Later That Night***

Kate walked into the house along with groceries and Rick, who just got out of work. Jim and Melinda were in the living room watching a movie together. Jim was laying on the couch with Melinda laying on top of him. They had a blanket draped over them with a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. Rick and Kate couldn't see their faces. Kate walked into the living room.

"Uh, Jim?" she said.

"Hmm?" he murmured quietly.

"We need to talk to you." she said.

"Okay." Jim gently slid a sleeping Melinda off of him.

He took the groceries from Kate and followed her into the kitchen. Rick was there eating an apple.

"What's up?" Jim asked.

"Umm, I told her about what happened. I assume Melinda has told you." Rick explained.

Jim slowly nodded his head.

"How is she doing?" Kate asked full of concern.

"She was a mess earlier but now she's fine. She said she blocked the memory out before because it was too painful and then she felt better after finding out the guy was in prison. She said that nothing's changed. All that happened was me knowing a part of her past and she wont let it bother her.

"Well that's really good." Kate nodded. "She's a great girl."

"Yeah, I know." Jim smiled.

"Oh, by the way, have you two, you know?" Kate asked.

"Umm, that's kinda personal!" Rick blurted.

"No, that's okay." Jim laughed. "We haven't gotten that far. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm not sure if I should put you two in the same room." Kate said, packing away the groceries.

"We're not going to do anything. I don't mind if I'm in the same room with her or not. It depends on if she wants to. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable by being in the same room." Jim said, taking the Oreo cookies from the grocery bag and eating them.

"Tell you what. I'll set up two bedrooms and you can use them both. Either way, you guys are comfortable." Kate suggested.

"Thanks, Aunt Kate." Jim smiled.

Quiet lingered throughout the house for a few minutes until a scream ripped through the air. Rick, Kate, and Jim ran into the living room to find Melinda tossing and turning on the couch. Jim rushed to her side.

"Mel. Mel, wake up." he tried to calm her down.

"No! Stop! Let go of me! Stop, please!" she screamed.

"Melinda. It's me. Wake up!" Jim said.

"Rick! Rick, help me!" Melinda screamed in her sleep.

Jim froze. He was hurt that she had called for Rick. He looked back at him. Rick nodded and walked over to Melinda.

"Shh... Melinda. I'm here." Rick whispered.

Melinda's eyes flew open and she saw Rick. He pulled her into a hug and she clung to him. She started crying onto his shoulder.

"What happened?" Kate asked.

"I-I-I was dreaming… that h-he came back. H-he attacked m-me again." Melinda choked out through her tears. "He forced himself into m-me. I tried… so hard t-to get away from him… but he wouldn't st-stop. He wouldn't stop."

"It's okay, Melinda. You're safe. That creep is not going to hurt you ever again." Rick tried to calm her down.

"That's twice you've saved me. Thank you." Melinda smiled, looked up at him.

Jim was so hurt. He wanted to be the one to save her. He wanted to be the one that she clung to if she was scared. He was disappointed. Jim walked out of the living room and upstairs to another guest room; the one next to Melinda's.

"Oh no. I hurt him, didn't I?" Melinda worried.

"It's not your fault, Mel. You just clung to the familiar. I was there the first time so you remembered me the second time. He probably doesn't understand that." Rick said.

"I don't want him to feel like I'm not safe with him." she said.

"Oh sweetie, I doubt he thinks that." Kate said.

"I have to talk to him." Melinda ran upstairs.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Kate worried.

"They'll be fine, honey." Rick walked over to his wife and kissed her softly.

Melinda found the room he was in. She didn't think twice before walking in. Jim was staring out of the window. The part of his face that Melinda could see was covered in sadness.

"Jim." she said quietly, taking a step forward.

He turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I really am. I didn't mean to hurt you." she sobbed.

"I felt like I couldn't protect you. I wasn't the one who could make you feel safe." he looked down at the floor.

"But I do feel safe with you." she took another step forward.

"Melinda, when I held you, you tried to get away from me. You were screaming at me to let you go. That doesn't sound like you feel safe." Jim said. "It was like I was the one hurting you. Like you needed saving from me!"

"It wasn't like that, Jim. It was him that was touching me. That was all I could see. His face inches away from mine. His body on top of me. I wanted all of it to stop!"

"I'm sorry." Jim sighed. "It just hurt for you to push away from me and run to someone else."

"Jim, I really didn't mean to. It's just… I remembered Rick saving me when it really happened. So when I had the dream, he was the first person that came to mind." she tried to explain. "That doesn't mean that I don't want you to protect me or that I don't feel safe with you."

"I believe you. And I'm trying to understand but it's hard. Every time I touch you, I'll wonder if you feel uncomfortable. When you fall asleep in my arms, what if you have another nightmare?" Jim ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I can't hold you without worrying that I might remind you of him."

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, Jim! You don't remind me of him! You make me feel the exact opposite way that he does! I hate him and I love you! The safest place I know is with you!" Melinda cried. "When you hold me, nothing ever hurts. I'm always happy."

"Wait, you're right." Jim said quietly. "I was holding you when we were watching the movie and you were fine. But then, I left to talk to Uncle Rick and Aunt Kate. When we were in the kitchen, you started screaming." Jim explained.

"You see? I need you to protect me." Melinda walked over to him. "I was just overwhelmed by all of this that I gave myself nightmares. It probably will never happen again. There's nothing to be afraid of anymore but I'm not taking any chances."

"Yeah. No need to stress." Jim agreed.

"Let's go back to forgetting about it." Melinda sighed.

"Forget about what?" Jim smiled.

"That's my man." she smiled. "Kiss me."

Jim pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. Her arms wove around his neck as his encircled her waist. Melinda jumped a little and he lifted her up so that her legs wrapped around him. The kiss had gotten deeper, as their lips parted. Jim's arms tightened around her as her arms squeezed him back.

Downstairs, Rick and Kate were desperate to find out what was happening upstairs. The desperation dissolved into curiosity when the young couple descended the staircase.

"Hey, is everything alright?" Kate asked.

"Yeah, everything is great." Melinda smiled and squeezed Jim's hand.

"Okay. Well, it's time for dinner." Kate smiled.

"Great. 'Cause I'm starved." Rick walked into the kitchen.

For dinner that night, they enjoyed Spaghetti Bolognese with the option of salad, and cheesecake for dessert.

"That was so yummy." Melinda smiled after dinner.

"Thank you, sweetie." Kate smiled.

"Umm, if I could just say, I'm really sorry for bringing so much conflict into your house. I hope that I didn't do any harm to you." Melinda apologized.

"Nonsense. You did nothing wrong." Rick smiled.

"Yeah, so don't you worry your pretty little head." Kate said.

"Thank you." Melinda smiled.

Everyone helped clear the table and cleaned up. Rick and Jim were in the living room after dinner watching the end of the big baseball game while Kate was in her bedroom and Melinda was getting ready for a shower. Kate joined Rick after the game was over and Jim went upstairs to check on Melinda. He wasn't aware that she had just stepped out of the shower so he walked into the bedroom without knocking.

They put all of their stuff into one room so he went over to his bag to get a change of clothes, getting ready to take a shower. Jim accidentally dropped something so he bent down to pick it up. At that same moment, Melinda stuck her head out of the bathroom and noticed she left her towel on the bed. Seeing no one in the room, she tiptoed out of the bathroom and made her way to the bed. Right before she was about to pick up the towel, Jim stood up straight. She gasped, realizing her body was not covered. Jim looked over at her and saw that she was naked. His eyes widened as they roamed over her body. Suddenly, he realized that he shouldn't be staring so he quickly turned around with his back facing her.

"Uh, I-uh, I should have knocked first. I'm sorry." Jim said, quickly.

"No, I'm sorry. I forgot my towel in here like an idiot." Melinda quickly wrapped herself with the towel. "I'm covered now. You can look."

Jim looked down for a second and shook his head.

"No, I'm good." he said, embarrassed.

Melinda couldn't see what he saw so she thought he didn't turn around because he didn't like what he saw.

"Okay, well… I'm gonna go change in the other room." she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Jim couldn't hear it and just nodded. When Melinda was alone and knew he couldn't hear her, she sighed.

"I knew I wasn't what he wanted." a tear rolled down her cheek.

Jim's boxers had a huge bulge in it, but Melinda couldn't see it.

"She's beautiful." Jim whispered. "More beautiful than I ever imagined."

He smiled at the thought of her. Jim stepped out of his clothes and went to take a shower.

**Review! I kinda liked it but it depends on what you guys think… So, tell me what you think! : )**


	10. Control Yourself

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would **

**definitely not be over.**

**Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it as much I did writing it.**

After Jim took a shower and got ready for bed, he went into the other guestroom and found Melinda sleeping peacefully. He smiled and hesitated to sleep in the same bed with her. After a few minutes of arguing with himself, Jim turned off all the lights and got comfortable in bed. Melinda opened her eyes to complete darkness. She felt someone next to her.

"Goodnight, Mel." Jim whispered before kissing her cheek. "I love you."

She smiled and let sleep take over her. Jim fell asleep shortly after. The next morning, Melinda woke up in Jim's arms. Her head was laying on his chest and his arm was around her back. Melinda smiled up at his face, admiring how adorable he looked. She kissed his chin and tried to leave the bed without waking him. Suddenly, Jim's arm tightened around her and he turned over so the left side of his body was covering hers. His lips were by her ear.

"You're beautiful, Mel." he murmured sleepily.

"Really?" she looked at him. "Then how come you wouldn't look at me?"

"Oh, I looked at you. And I couldn't take my eyes off of you." he smiled. "But I didn't know if you wanted me to look so I turned around."

"But when I was covered, you didn't want to look." she was confused.

"I didn't want you to see what happened." Jim said.

Melinda tried to figure out what he meant but she couldn't.

"Lets put it this way: My pants got too tight." he said.

Her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh." she giggled. "Well, I'm gonna go get ready for breakfast."

"Me too." they both got out of bed.

Rick left for work by the time Jim and Melinda got downstairs. Kate left shortly after breakfast was over to visit a friend.

"So, wanna go swimming?" Jim asked.

"In November?" she asked.

"Yeah." he said.

"No, its too cold." she sighed.

"Uncle Rick has an indoor pool." he smiled.

"Really?" Melinda beamed.

"Yeah. So do you wanna go?" he asked.

"Yeah, lets get ready." she smiled.

"Race ya." he challenged.

Melinda took off running to the guestroom. Jim ran after her. He caught up to her right before they got to the room. Melinda let out a scream as he picked her up from behind.

"I won." she laughed.

"No, it was a tie." he corrected her.

"No, I stepped into the room first." she argued.

"You did not." he smiled.

"Let me go." she giggled.

"Fine." he threw onto the bed and she burst into laughter.

Jim watched her in awe as she tried to contain herself. They way she was sprawled out on the bed was attractive to him. Her arms and legs were stretched out and her chest was moving up and down as she took deep breaths from laughing so hard. Jim couldn't tear his eyes away.

"Melinda." he took a step forward.

"Huh?" she said.

"Never mind." he started walking to the bathroom.

"What?" she sat up.

"Nothing." he shook his head.

"Fine. Don't tell me." she took her shirt and pants off. "I'm ready to go in."

"You're gonna go just like that?" Jim looked at her.

"I don't have any bathing suits with me." she said.

"You're not making this easy for me." he sighed.

"What are you talking about?" Melinda got up off the bed.

"Just forget about it." he walked into the bathroom.

"What am I doing?" she followed him.

"You're just so…" Jim strained.

"What? Spit it out." she was confused at to why he was acting so weird.

"You're just amazing." he smiled.

"Oh. Well thank you." she smiled back. "You're amazing too."

Melinda kissed him softly. Jim tried not to deepen the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Jim placed his hands on her waist, feeling nothing but bare skin, since she was only in her bra and underwear. He pulled away.

"I need to change." he avoided looking at her.

"Okay?" Melinda said. "I'll be downstairs at the pool."

She left the bedroom and went downstairs. While she was walking, she wondered why he was being distant. Jim took a long time to get out of the bathroom after he changed into something to wear in the pool, he paced back and forth.

"You need to control yourself, Jim. She is not ready for that and you can't scare her away. Just don't think about her in that way." he tried to fight the urges.

He took a few deep breaths before going down to the pool. Melinda was already in swimming from one end to the other. Jim watched her through the glass door as she moved through the water gracefully. She jumped out of the pool and sat on the side with her feet still dangling in the water. Jim could see the whole front of her body. Melinda took deep breaths as she smoothed her hair back out of her face. Jim just stood there and continued to watch her. She laid down by the edge of the pool and closed her eyes.

"Just breathe." Jim whispered to himself.

Jim slid open the door and walked into the room.

"Hey." he said.

"Hi." she looked at him and her breath caught.

It was the very first time that she saw him shirtless. He was completely built with his six pack and toned pecs. She bit her lip and closed her eyes again. He sat down on the opposite side of the pool and put his feet into the water. They were quiet for a while. Both of them were trying so hard to control their urges, not knowing that the other wanted the same thing.

"Mel," Jim broke the silence. "I love you."

"I love you, too." she looked at him.

They smiled at each other. Jim jumped into the pool and ducked under the water. Everything was silent after the splashes of water had ceased. Suddenly, Jim resurfaced right next to Melinda and pulled her in. She screamed in shock as she hit the water. Her hands squeezed Jim's shoulders. He kept his hands on her waist and looked at her with a devious smile.

"No." she shook her head, knowing exactly what he was going to do.

"Oh yeah." he smiled before throwing her into the water, getting her completely wet.

Melinda came up and looked pissed.

"That was not funny!" she steamed.

"It was pretty funny." Jim laughed.

Melinda was about to get out when Jim pulled her back to him. He wrapped his arms around her waist.

"No, I'm not gonna talked to you." she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Melinda." he tried to look into her eyes but she turned her head.

"Nope." she said.

He kissed her cheek but she wiped it away. He kissed her cheek again and she wiped it away a second time. He did it again. Melinda grabbed his face in her hands.

"Jim! Stop it! I'm mad at you!" she exclaimed.

"But I love you." Jim pouted like a sad little kid.

"Well I don't care." she said.

"Okay." he said sadly and let her go.

He hung his head and started walking away from her. She sighed and pulled him back to her. Her lips crashed onto his in a passionate kiss. Her arms found their way around his neck as she got lost in the kiss. Jim wrapped his arms around her. They continued to kiss until they needed air. Melinda rested her forehead against his.

They spent the rest of the morning in the pool. They raced each other, played marco polo, and made out every once in a while. Jim and Melinda got out of the pool once lunch rolled around. They went out into town to grab lunch.

"You'll love this bistro." Jim took her to one of his favorite restaurants. "I used to come here all the time."

They were seated immediately in a booth in the corner. Melinda looked around.

"It's so nice and quiet. I would come here all the time, too." she smiled. "Who did you use to come here with?"

"Dan and I use to come here with a couple buddies from my old school. We would just hang out for a while and hit on the hot waitress that works here." Jim smiled.

"So, that's why you wanted to come here." Melinda narrowed her eyes.

"And the food is really good." Jim joked.

She gasped and gently punched him in the arm. They enjoyed their lunch together and took a stroll in the park. The couple walked arm in arm.

"Just tell me the truth." Melinda said.

"Does it really matter?" Jim asked.

"Yes. To me." she said. "Was the waitress prettier than me?"

"Okay. Am I gonna glance at other women? Yes. Am I gonna think they're pretty? Yes. But no one is prettier than you." he kissed her cheek.

"Damn, you're good." she laughed.

"I got skills." Jim stated proudly.

"Yeah, yeah." she smiled before her cell phone started ringing. "Hello?"

"Hey, are you busy?" Andrea said on the other end.

"No, what's up?" Melinda replied.

"Okay. Well, I heard from Holly who heard from Hayden who heard from Bobby who heard from Tim who was talking to Shawn about tonight." Andrea was talking at one hundred miles an hour.

"Andrea, calm down." Melinda said. "What about tonight?"

"Well, I heard that Shawn's parents are gone for the weekend and he's planning a special dinner for the two of us. And you know what that means." Andrea panicked.

"Oh my god!" Melinda stopped walking.

"What?" Jim worried, as he stopped walking too.

"Yeah. And I'm really nervous." Andrea said.

"Well I would be too. But you have to stay calm." Melinda tried to comfort her friend.

"I'm trying but this is really big!" Andrea exclaimed.

"Okay, okay. Umm…" Melinda tried to think of comforting words. "Just… Just go with it. You know, pretend you know nothing out of the ordinary is going on. You've been on romantic dates with Shawn before, so just act like its nothing bigger than that and when the moment comes, act like you know what you're doing."

"Yeah, yeah… that sounds good. Okay, thank you so much! I didn't know what to do." Andrea took a deep breath. "Have you and Jim done it?"

"No." Melinda sighed. "I don't think he wants to."

She looked at Jim, who was looking back at her confused. He could only hear half of the conversation.

"Melinda, even a blind man can tell Jim wants you. I bet he still thinks you don't want to." Andrea said.

"Well, I tried to-" Melinda stopped talking, not wanting to let Jim in on what she was talking about. "I tried to show that I'm ready to give my personal items away but… no matter what I do, they won't take it. I mean, maybe they just don't want it."

"Well, try again. Make it more obvious." Andrea picked up on the code.

"Okay, I'll try." Melinda sighed.

"Okay. And I'll try your plan." Andrea smiled. "I gotta go. Bye."

"Bye." Melinda hung up.

"What was all that about?" Jim asked as they walked back to the car.

"Andrea was worried about what Shawn has planned for tonight." Melinda answered.

"Oh. Yeah, I heard he wanted to well, you know." he said.

"Yeah, and she's nervous as hell." she said.

"I could see why. It's a big deal." he said.

"Yeah, so I just helped her think of a way to calm down." Melinda said.

"You're a good friend." Jim kissed her head.

"Thanks. She helped with something, too, so I returned the favor." she said.

"What did she help you with?" he asked her.

"Oh, this thing I've been trying to do but I wasn't sure if…" she looked up at him, not knowing how to explain it without giving away the whole truth. "Umm, she just gave me some advice."

"You know you could have asked me." Jim opened the car door to the passenger's seat for her once they got to the car.

"Uh, no. This was a girl thing." she smiled.

"Well, then I guess I wouldn't have been much help, would I?" Jim chuckled, closing her door.

"Nope." Melinda chuckled nervously.

Back at the house, Kate had came home before Jim and Melinda returned from visiting the town. She was in the kitchen baking cookies.

"Hey, Aunt Kate." Jim walked into the kitchen with Melinda.

"Hey, Mrs. Payne." Melinda smiled.

"Honey, call me Kate." Kate smiled warmly.

"Whoa, and I have to call you Aunt Kate?" Jim asked.

"Because you're my nephew." Kate told him. "But I guess she's like my niece, so if she wants she can call me Aunt Kate too."

"Okay, Aunt Kate." Melinda smiled.

"That's better." Jim smiled.

"You're so weird." Kate chuckled.

Jim and Melinda helped Kate bake the cookies. They spent hours in the kitchen laughing, talking, and shaping the oversized cookies. There were chocolate chip for Kate, peanut butter for Melinda, m&m for Rick, and sugar cookies for Jim. Jim had stole a chunk of cookie dough from Melinda.

"No, I need that." Melinda pouted.

"I need it more." Jim started shaping the cookie dough."What for?" she asked.

"I'm making something." Jim said.

"Fine. Then I'm taking some of yours." she took a chunk of cookie dough from him.

Kate watched in amusement as she shaped her own cookies. They all made some cookies for Rick too. The cookies were shaped in regular circles, stars, squares, and diamonds. Jim was at the other table secretly making a huge heart shaped cookie for Melinda with the peanut butter cookie dough. What he didn't know was that Melinda was doing the same for him with the sugar cookie dough.

"Alright. Time to bake them." Kate said.

They used four trays to bake all of the cookies. Kate put them all into the oven so Jim and Melinda wouldn't see the other's cookies.

"By the time, they're all done, Rick will be home so he can ice them with us." Kate stated.

"I feel like a little kid." Melinda leaned on the counter. "Baking cookies and fighting for the cookie dough."

"But it was fun." Jim smiled.

"Yeah it was." Melinda smiled.

"You two are hilarious." Kate laughed.

"How?" Jim asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Kate smiled.

"Oh, we should go book our flights back home." Jim turned to Melinda. "We do leave Monday."

"Yeah, we should." Melinda sighed. "I don't want to leave, though."

"Me neither." Jim comfortingly rubbed Melinda's back. "We'll try to come back to visit during the summer."

"You better. I would love to Melinda again." Kate said.

"Aww. I'll definitely be coming back." Melinda smiled.

"And what about me?" Jim pretended to be hurt.

"Oh, yeah. You too." Kate said.

"Oh, I feel loved." Jim said sarcastically.

"Don't worry, I love you." Melinda smiled.

"Ha, Aunt Kate." Jim hugged Melinda. "At least I have Melinda."

Kate looked at Melinda, who shook her head as if it wasn't true. Jim looked at her too, so she stopped shaking her head and smiled at him. Kate burst out laughing, so did Melinda. Jim was totally lost.

"I smell cookies!" Rick walked into the house a few hours later.

"Well, hello to you, too, honey." Kate greeted him in the kitchen.

"We made some for you, too." Melinda smiled.

"That was very sweet of you." Rick smiled back.

"Yeah, they're cooling right now." Kate said.

"Okay. Where's Jim?" Rick took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves to go wash his hands.

"He went upstairs to go book our flights back home." Melinda answered.

"The cookies are ready to be iced." Kate started laying out the cookies.

"I'll go get Jim." Melinda headed upstairs.

Jim was on the computer getting their plane tickets ready. His back was facing her. Melinda walked into the room and hugged him from behind.

"The cookies are ready." she said quietly.

"Okay, I'm coming." he said.

"Are our flights ready?" she asked.

"Yup. Monday afternoon. All set." he said.

"Good." Melinda kissed the side of his neck.

"Yeah, good." Jim couldn't think straight as she sucked on his skin.

Jim slowly got up from the chair and turned to face her. She continued to suck on his neck as he wrapped her in his strong arms. She gently bit down and then kissed it once more before pulling away. She smiled and stared at his purplish bruise.

"Did you just give me a hickey?" he asked.

"Uh-huh." she giggled, then ran downstairs.

The four of them iced their cookies. Jim and Kate were at one table while Rick and Melinda were at the other. Jim wrote a message on the cookie he made for Melinda, while she did the same. When all the cookies were done, Jim gave Melinda the heart-shaped cookie that read: _You are my heart and soul. I give everything to you. I love you, always. _Melinda had given him his heart-shaped cookie that said: _I belong to you. My love is yours. I love you, forever. _They smiled at the message they received from each other and share a sweet kiss.

"Why cant you be like that?" Kate slapped Rick's arm.

"Ow." Rick rubbed his arm. "Thanks, Jim."

"You're welcome." Jim smiled smugly.

They ate their cookies after they had dinner, which was Chinese take-out night. Then, they huddle in the living room to watch a movie together. Rick and Kate took the couch. Rick laid down on the couch with Kate laying on top of him, the way Jim and Melinda had been the night before, while the younger couple cuddled on the recliner. They laid side by side with their bodies pressed comfortably together. Jim had his arm around her and Melinda had her arm over his stomach. The lights were turned off and the movie had started. Melinda looked up at Jim's neck and could barely see his hickey in the dim lighting. She smiled and pressed a kiss to it before turning her attention back to the movie.

**Please review! Thanks you guys. : )**


	11. Lucky To Have You

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would **

**definitely not be over.**

The next morning, Jim and Melinda walked into the kitchen in search of breakfast. Instead, they found Rick and Kate making out.

"Oh my God!" Jim covered his eyes.

Rick and Kate broke apart and looked at Jim and Melinda.

"Well, at least you two still have the hots for each other." Melinda shrugged.

"They're too old to have the hots for each other!" Jim exclaimed.

"We're only 32." Rick said."Well, keep that kind of action to yourself!" Jim went over to the counter and grabbed a plate, stacking two pancakes on it.

"What kind of action? The kind that you do with Melinda?" Kate asked as she got some pancakes herself.

"But its different. We're not old." Jim said.

Rick and Melinda both took some pancakes and they all sat down for breakfast together.

"For the last time, Jim, neither are we!" Rick chuckled.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." Jim smiled and rolled his eyes.

It was Rick's day off today so the four of them were going to hang out together. After breakfast, they had a few hours to relax. Melinda was upstairs in the main guestroom that they used trying to figure out what to wear. Her suitcase was open against the wall on the floor. Melinda's back was facing the door so when Jim walked in, she didn't see him. Suddenly, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist.

"Watcha' doing?" he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Trying to find something to wear." Melinda answered, leaning into him.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" Jim referred to her fitted, v-neck, dark blue tee and dark, skinny jeans.

"I don't know." she sighed.

"Don't change. You look beautiful." he whispered.

"Okay." she smiled.

Jim gently pushed her against the wall and close the space between them. He pinned her hands beside her head and lowered his head to her level. Melinda's breath caught as his lips moved to her neck and gently kissed it.

"You know, Mel," he mumbled against her skin. "I never returned the favor."

He kissed her neck again. Melinda closed her eyes and laced her fingers with his.

"Do it." she whispered.

Jim started sucking on her neck. Melinda let out a moan. He let go of her left hand and worked his hand down the side of her body. Her hand got lost in his dark hair, holding his head to her neck. Jim's hand gently ran down to her thigh, then back up and under her shirt.

"Jim." she moaned as he bit down on her skin.

Jim's other hand was behind her, caressing her ass as Melinda's other hand was in Jim's shirt, feeling his muscular upper body. He took his lips away from her neck and looked at her with a satisfied smile.

"Did you enjoy that?" he asked.

Melinda nodded, distantly. Her hands continued to feel their way around in his shirt. Jim kissed her passionately as his arms wrapped around her. When they pulled away, he winked at her and left the room. Melinda's heart was racing. She slid down the wall and smiled.

"Wow." she whispered to herself.

Around lunchtime, Rick, Kate, Jim, and Melinda headed over to the bowling alley.

"Okay. Girls against guys for the first game." Kate stated as they laced up their bowling shoes.

"Awesome. Uncle Rick and I are gonna kick your girly butts." Jim rubbed his hands together.

"We'll see who the girls are at the end of this game." Melinda got up in Jim's face.

"You're on, baby." Jim pulled her face to his and kissed her passionately.

"Melinda!" Kate pulled her away from Jim. "Do not get distracted."

"I'm sorry." she blushed.

"We better win if you don't want to hear Rick gloat for the next couple of weeks." Kate said.

"Okay. Okay, I'm on my best game." Melinda said.

"Alright, now let's kick their butts." Kate smiled.

"Yeah." Melinda smiled.

Melinda was the first to bowl so she went to grab a bowling ball. Jim lounged in one of the chairs and smirked at her.

"Hit those pins, babe!" Jim yelled.

"Jim! Stop it!" Kate smiled.

"Don't think about him." Melinda told herself.

She stepped up to the lane and threw the ball. It hit one pin on the left side. She sighed and went to try a second time. Kate came up to her.

"Come on. Do better the next time." she said.

"I'm trying. I just need to get upset." Melinda said. "I always do better when I'm thinking of something that makes me mad."

"Well, think of something to piss you off." Kate said.

"There's nothing I can think of that will piss me off." Melinda sighed.

"Umm…" Kate started to think. "Oh, do what I do. Just think of Jim with some other girl. When I think of Rick leaving me for someone else, it kills me and I pretend those pins are the sluts who took him from me."

"That's a great idea." Melinda nodded. "I just hope it doesn't get to my head and I start bitching at him."

Kate chuckled and Melinda turned back to the pins with the ball in her hands. She imagined that Stephanie was the first pin. She thought about Jim leaving her for Stephanie and she got really mad. She threw the ball and it went straight for the very front pin. She hit all of the pins down.

"Yes!" Melinda turned back to Kate and they high fived with both hands.

Next, Jim was up. He threw the ball and got a seven-ten split.

"Haha, Jimmy. Try getting this one." Melinda smirked.

Jim looked back at her and blew her a kiss. He only hit one pin down.

"Getcha head in the game, Jim." Rick said.

"Okay." Jim sat down.

It was Kate's turn, then Rick's. They continued to play and trash talk each other until the end of the game. Rick bowled his last time and then they added up the points.

"In your face, Clancy!" Melinda jumped in excitement. "You lost!"

"Big deal. It was just a fun game." Jim shook it off.

"Oh, no. Just because you lost doesn't mean this game meant nothing. Lose with some dignity, man." Melinda pointed a finger at him.

"Lose with dignity, huh?" Jim grabbed her by her waist and picked her up.

She squealed and wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun her around.

"Look at the smile on your face. I put that there just by losing a game of bowling." Jim said. "There's my dignity."

"I love you, Clancy." she kissed his nose.

"I love you, Gordon." he rested his forehead against hers."You guys are too mushy." Rick gagged.

"You're just jealous!" Jim stuck his tongue out at his uncle.

"I am! I don't have a man that romantic." Kate pouted.

Suddenly, Rick pulled Kate to him and laid a passionate kiss on her lips.

"How's that?" he asked after the kiss.

"Better. But I'll need more." Kate laughed.

"You got it, honey." Rick kissed her again.

Jim and Melinda watched with smiles on their faces. Melinda snuggled her face in the crook of Jim's neck and hugged him tightly. His arms wrapped around her back, keeping her feet off of the ground.

They ate lunch during their second game and then went home.

"Hey, do you guys wanna go to the movies?" Rick asked as they got home.

"No, I'm just gonna relax here a while. But you guys can go." Jim said.

"Okay, how about you Melinda?" Rick asked.

"Uh, no I'm gonna stay here too. Have fun." Melinda smiled.

"Alright. See you guys later." Kate and Rick left them alone.

"Okay, so they're gone. What do you want to do?" Jim asked with a smile.

"Hmm. I don't know." Melinda smiled. "I saw the game dance dance revolution. Maybe we could play and I could kick your butt."

"Please. I'm a beast at that game. I'm gonna kick your butt." he said as they walked into the living room.

"Sure you will." she smiled.

They set up the game and stood on their mats.

"Ready?" Jim smiled at her.

"Oh yeah." she smiled.

The music started playing on they started dancing. Melinda pushed Jim off his mat so he would lose. In the next game, Jim pushed Melinda off of her mat.

"Jim! You made me lose!" Melinda laughed.

"You did the same thing to me!" Jim said.

"Oh well." she smiled. "I call a rematch."

"Nope." he said. "Lets play another game."

"What game?" she asked.

"Twister." he grabbed the game from the game pile Rick and Kate had and started setting it up.

"Ooh, this will be fun." Melinda clapped her hands together.

"Yes it will." he smiled.

"Alright. You're first." Jim spun the wheel. "Right hand on red."

Melinda bent over and placed her hand on a red circle. Jim was behind her and stared at her ass. She turned her head and looked at him.

"Like what you see?" she smirked.

"You have no idea." he blushed and spun the wheel again.

By the middle of the game, Jim and Melinda were entangled in each other. It was Jim's turn again so he spun the wheel.

"Oh, that's gonna be a hard one." Melinda smiled.

"We'll see." he said and stretched his arm and placed his hand on the far away circle.

Now, their faces were just inches apart. They stared at each other for a few seconds, leaning closer until their lips touched. The kiss became more intense and they fell to the floor in each other's arms. Jim got over her as they made out. Melinda's hands were in his shirt feeling around. His hands traveled her body, finding their way inside her shirt. He felt her breasts over the fabric of her bra. Melinda moaned into the kiss. Jim lifted her up and carried her upstairs to their guestroom. He laid her on the bed and she pulled at his shirt.

"Mel, are you sure?" Jim asked searching her eyes for any doubt.

"Yes." she smiled.

"Are you positive?" he wanted to make sure.

"Shut up and kiss me." she pulled him back down and kissed him.

Clothes started coming off and soon they were just in their underwear. Their hands were all over each other.

"Melinda." Jim said, making sure one last time.

"Jim." she nodded.

"Okay. Just say stop whenever." he said as he pulled her panties down her legs.

"Okay." she whispered.

Jim pulled down his boxers. Melinda bit her bottom lip and took a deep breath. Jim was just as gorgeous as she had imagined. He grabbed a condom from his suitcase and slipped it on. She pulled him to her and pressed their bodies together. A moan escaped her lips, as she felt him rub against her.

"Ready?" he asked.

Melinda nodded and suddenly, she felt him slowly enter her. Her hands gripped his shoulders as she shut her eyes tightly.

"Babe, are you okay?" Jim asked in concern.

"It…hurts." a tear fell from her eye.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No, it's…going away." she whispered.

After a minute, Melinda relaxed.

"Are you alright?" Jim asked.

"Yes. Now I feel good." she smiled.

"Good." Jim kissed her cheek and started moving in her.

"Oh, Jim." she moaned.

"You like that?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm." she mumbled. "Harder."

"What? I cant hear you." he slowed down, teasing her.

"No, Harder!" she moaned louder.

"You got it, baby." he began a faster pace, hitting her harder.

"JIM! Oh, my god, baby!" Melinda's hands were in her hair.

"You look so beautiful." he kissed all over her chest and stomach.

Melinda moaned and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as they were close to their climax. Her orgasm rocked through her body.

"Melinda…I love you." Jim moaned as he exploded inside her.

"Mmm…I…love you, too." she moaned.

Jim collapsed on her as they were coming down from their highs. Melinda wrapped her arms around him and snuggled under him. Jim kissed her shoulder.

"You were great." he whispered.

"Thank you. You were amazing." she breathed.

"Thank you." he smiled.

"We have to get ready for dinner soon." she moved under him.

Jim stopped her and kissed her passionately.

"Okay. Now we can go." he smiled.

Jim and Melinda both got ready for dinner. By the time they got downstairs, Rick and Kate came back with food from the restaurant they went to after the movies. Jim and Melinda ate their dinner and then everyone headed up to bed.

**REVIEW!**


	12. Coming Home

**Sorry for the long wait, readers. But I finished writing this chapter and I'm excited for you to read it.. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would ****definitely not be over.**

It was Monday. Jim and Melinda were getting their stuff ready to head to the airport. Their suitcases were set by the door for when they were ready to leave.

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" Kate wailed.

The four of them were in the kitchen eating breakfast that morning.

"I'm gonna miss you guys, too." Melinda smiled a sad smile.

"Promise you'll come to visit whenever you can." Kate said.

"I promise." Jim smiled.

"When's you're flight?" Rick asked.

"Uh, 2:30pm." Jim answered.

"Oh, so only a few more hours." Rick looked at the clock on the wall.

"Yeah." Melinda sighed. "This has been a fun weekend, really. I loved every minute of it."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. I know I did." Kate smiled.

Melinda smiled. After breakfast, Melinda was on the front porch thinking to herself.

"I know what you're thinking about." Melinda turned around to see Rick standing behind her.

"Am I that easy to read?" she asked with a small smile.

"No. I just saw it in your eyes at breakfast. We all know you didn't enjoy every part of this weekend. We just didn't want to bring it up." he walked up beside her and leaned over the railing.

"Well, besides that. Everything was great." Melinda laughed it off.

"Melinda." Rick looked at her. "Did you ever go to the police?"

"No." she looked down. "I just stuck with my friends after that and a year later, he was put in prison. Still behind bars now."

"Does anyone else know?" he asked.

"No. How could ever tell my friends or family that? It would change everything." she answered.

"Yes it would. You'd be protected. And your friends and family would be cautious, too." he mentioned. "You have to tell them sooner or later."

"Or not at all. It's never gonna happen again. No one else has to know." she said.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm more cautious and I'm never alone. I'll be okay." she reassured him.

"Okay." he didn't sound so sure. "I'm sorry I reminded you of all this."

"Don't be. I guess deep down I knew this would be unraveled sooner or later. I couldn't hide it for the rest of my life. I'm just worried about Jim. He has to deal with all this. You should have seen him when I told him. He was beyond furious. I really put a twist in his life." Melinda sighed.

"Hey, you know Jim doesn't care about any of that. He only wants you to be safe and happy." Rick said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But along with this, we still have to deal with Stephanie. She's still convinced that Jim is hers. And maybe she's right." she said the last part quietly.

"Stephanie doesn't deserve Jim. Anyone can see that. Honestly, I've never seen him this happy before. Don't ever think you shouldn't be with him. You're a part of this family now." he smiled.

"Sure feels like it." she smiled. "I'm glad I am. Jim is everything I want and I guess I'm what he wants."

"You are. I can see how much he loves you. So don't go breaking his heart." Rick chuckled.

"I promise I won't." Melinda crossed her fingers over her heart.

"Good." he gave her a hug.

She hugged him back and Rick went back inside the house. Melinda took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. There were a few feathery clouds scattered across the blue sky. She smiled at the pretty sight and continued to think to herself. She was by herself for a while until Jim came searching for her.

"Oh, here you are." Jim smiled and closed the front door behind him.

"Hey." she smiled at him.

"What are you doing out here?" he put his arms around her.

"The cool air helps me clear my head." Melinda looked back up at the sky.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. When we lived here, the house we lived in had a sitting area right outside my bedroom. I would go and sit outside for hours just to think. Seemed to be my favorite place to be." Jim said.

"You miss living here, don't you?" Melinda asked.

"Some things I miss. But I'm glad we moved." he looked down at her.

"Yeah, because of all the new friends you made and the change of scenery, right?" Melinda smiled.

"Oh, yes. Nothing else." he kissed her head.

"See, I know you like the back of my hand." she laughed.

"You must be unfamiliar with the back of your hand, then." he said.

"Jim, can I ask you a question?" Melinda looked up at him.

"Of course you can." he looked at her.

"If the guy that attacked me was released from jail like, tomorrow-" she was interrupted.

"Melinda, I don't want to hear this." Jim clenched his jaw.

"No, I need to know." she took a deep breath. "If he was released and came looking for me, would you still want to stand by my side?" she asked.

"What the hell kind of question is that?" Jim asked angrily. "Of course I'll be by your side. No matter what happens, I'm here for you. I will never leave you alone."

"That's all I need to know." she said.

"How many times do I have to say that? You should know that already." Jim was mad.

"Look, don't get all angry. It's one thing to say you'll be there and another to actually do it." Melinda pulled out of his embrace. "I just wanted to know, damn it."

"You're worried it will happen again, aren't you?" Jim asked.

"No, I'm not! I just asked a question!" Melinda raised her voice a little.

"Hey, calm down." Jim pulled her back to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"I'm scared, Jim." Melinda whispered.

"Don't be. It will never happen again. I promise you it will never happen again." he soothed her.

"Why did you get so angry?" she asked.

"Because I thought of that guy all over you and it pissed me off. And I thought you didn't believe me when I said I'll be with you through anything." he said.

"I believe you. But, I wanted to make sure." Melinda wrapped her arms around him.

"Well, always remember, we're together 'til the end." he kissed her forehead.

Melinda nodded against him and held him tighter. It was time for Jim and Melinda to head off to the airport. They had all their stuff ready and were saying goodbye.

"Please visit soon. I already love having you around so much." Kate squeezed Melinda in the hug.

"I promise I will." Melinda squeezed her back.

"See you soon." Rick hugged Jim.

"And I'll be waiting for my rematch in pools." Jim smiled.

"Be ready to lose." Rick laughed.

They switched places and hugged the others. After all goodbyes were said, Jim and Melinda were cruising down the highway towards the airport.

"I sure am gonna miss them." she said.

"Me, too. One of the best weekends ever." he sighed.

"It'll happen again." she smiled at him.

At 2:00pm, everyone boarded the plane and at 2:30pm, they took off in the direction of Grandview. Jim and Melinda landed safely and were greeted by Shawn and Andrea, who agreed to pick them up from the airport.

"Hey!" Andrea hugged Melinda first.

"Hey." Melinda hugged her back.

"How was it?" Shawn asked Jim.

"The trip was great." Jim answered.

"No, not that." Shawn gave him a look.

"Oh, that!" Jim grinned. "Amazing."

They were talking about Jim and Melinda's first time.

"Nice." Shawn high-fived him.

"And yours?" Jim asked.

"Unbelievable." Shawn smiled.

Jim laughed and then hugged Andrea. Melinda hugged Shawn and they left the airport. Shawn and Andrea came with the same car so the guys were in the front seats and the girls were in the back.

"So, did it happen?" Andrea asked, impatiently.

Melinda nodded, then looked at Jim in the front seat.

"Oh my gosh! Details!" Andrea squealed.

"Shh! Not so loud!" Melinda whispered.

"Sorry. Well?" Andrea smiled.

"Well, it was indescribable. The way he held me, the way he wanted me to feel comfortable, everything was just like being in heaven." Melinda said dreamily.

Andrea giggled.

"Maybe I should take him for a ride." Andrea joked.

"Is Shawn not good?" Melinda asked, sarcastically.

"Well, Shawn is just as unbelievable as Jim is for you." Andrea said. "But why stop at one amazing experience?"

"Hey, you can go sample as many as you want, as long as you keep your hands off my man." Melinda laughed.

"Promise." Andrea laughed, too.

After the couple visited their friends, they finally went home. Shawn dropped off Melinda first.

"I'll see you later." Jim got out of the car and walked her to the door.

"Okay, I love you." Melinda tiptoed up to Jim and kissed him softly.

"I love you more, babe." he kissed her a little deeper.

"Not possible." she smiled and went inside before they ended up debating their love for each other.

"Hey, Melinda!" Mike and Maddie ran up to her as she walked through the door.

"Hey, Maddie!" she hugged her.

"We missed you, so much!" Maddie hugged her back.

"I missed you, too." Melinda smiled.

"Hey, Mel." Mike smiled.

"What? No hug?" Melinda opened her arms.

Mike smiled and hugged his big sister. They followed Melinda up to her bedroom as she told them about her trip. She plopped her suitcase onto her bed and unzipped it.

"I have presents." she smiled.

"Really!" Maddie chirped.

"Yeah. For you, I got this snow globe." she pulled out a box and gave it to her sister.

Maddie has been collecting snow globes since she was six. Her face glowed with excitement as she opened the box.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" Maddie hugged her tightly.

"Your welcome. And for Mike, I got you this." Melinda picked up the present and handed it to him.

Mike unwrapped it and smiled.

"Awesome!" she bought him new games for his Wii and Nintendo. "Thanks."

"Your welcome." Melinda smiled.

Not long after, her mother had came home from work. She wasn't working late that day. The siblings heard the front door open and rushed down stairs. Melinda practically jumped on her mom.

"Melinda! You're home!" Beth hugged her daughter.

"Yeah, I missed you." she hugged her mom.

"I missed you, too." she smiled. "Well, now that you're home, we can all go out for dinner and you can tell us all about your trip."

"Okay." Melinda smiled.

"Alright. You're father will be home soon so why don't you go get ready." Beth said.

"I'll just go pack my stuff away." Melinda went back upstairs.

She pulled her cell phone out and dialed Jim's number as she unpacked her suitcase.

When Jim got home, Dan was the only one home.

"Hey, man!" Dan got up off the couch and hugged his brother.

"Hey." Jim hugged him back.

"How's Uncle Rick and Aunt Kate?" Dan asked.

"They're great. It was a lot of fun." Jim said as he sat on the couch to relax a bit.

"Jim!" Vanessa smiled, coming out of the kitchen.

"Hey, Ness." Jim got up and hugged her.

"How was the trip?" she sat down next to Dan.

"It was great. Melinda and I had lots of fun." Jim smiled and sat back down.

"I'm glad." she smiled.

"I'm gonna pack my stuff away." Jim got up and picked up his suitcase.

Just then, Faith walked in the door.

"Oh, Jim!" she hugged him.

"Hey, mom." he hugged her back.

"How was the trip?" she asked.

"It was good." he smiled. "I'm gonna go empty my suitcase."

He started walking up the stairs.

"Okay, we're all going out to dinner when you're father gets home." Faith said.

"Cool." Jim said.

As soon as he got to his room, his cell phone started ringing. He smiled when he saw who it was.

"Hey." he answered.

"Hi." she said.

"Watcha' doing?" Jim asked.

"Just unpacking my clothes." she said.

"Me, too." he unzipped his suitcase and started emptying it.

"Then I'm going out to dinner with my family." Melinda said.

"Weird. Me, too." he said.

"Cute." she laughed.

"So, I guess I won't see you until tomorrow." Jim sighed.

"Yeah. But hey, we spent the whole weekend together. I thought you would have gotten tired of me by now." Melinda joked.

"One weekend isn't enough time with you." he laid down on his bed after packing his clothes back."It isn't. I already miss you." she sighed.

"I miss you, too, baby." he said.

"Jim? Do you, umm…never mind." Melinda stuttered.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing. It's not important." she said.

"It sounds important. Just tell me." he said.

"No, it's nothing. So, I'll talk to you later, okay, bye." Melinda stammered.

"Melinda, Ju-" Jim didn't finish what he was saying because she hung up on him.

She let out a deep breath. She was curious about the night she and Jim spent together. She wondered if he regretted it.

"Come on, Melinda." she said to herself. "I'm sure he loved that now as much as you do. Or else he wouldn't still be with you. Or maybe he just waited for us to come back here to break up."

Melinda thought for a minute.

"After everything we've been through I still have second thoughts? Jim loves me. He loves me as much as I love him. I'm just psyching myself out." she shook her head.

Her father came home and then they all went out for dinner.

**Review!**


	13. Can't Get Enough

**Sorry for the super duper long wait. Please don't hate me! Here's chapter 13!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over.**

Jim and his family arrived at the restaurant within fifteen minutes. They were quickly seated and getting ready to order.

"Excuse me. I need to use the restroom." Jim stood up from the table.

On his way to the restroom, he bumped into someone.

"Sorry." he looked and saw Melinda.

"You should be. Quite clumsy there, sir." she smiled.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" Jim asked, giving her a hug.

"This is where we are having dinner." Melinda's family appeared behind her.

"Jim!" Mike exclaimed.

"Hey little man." Jim slapped hands with him.

"Hey, Jim!" Maddie hugged him.

"Hey, kiddo." he hugged her back.

"Hey, Jim." Beth smiled.

"Hey, Mrs. Gordon." he smiled at her. "Hi, Mr. Gordon."

"It's Tom, son." Tom shook his hand with a smile.

"And I'm Beth." Melinda's mother said.

"Got it." Jim smiled. "Won't you meet my family?"

"Yeah, come on, guys." Melinda smiled.

Jim lead the Gordon family over to the Clancy's. They all exchanged names and hellos. They all adjusted to each other rather quickly. It was surprising for Jim and Melinda, but also liberating. The two families decided to have one big dinner so everyone could get to know each other. Jim and Melinda were laughing at each other's embarrassing stories and dreading their own. Jim pulled out his cell phone under the table and texted Melinda. Her phone started vibrating as Jim excused himself from the table.

_Go to the restroom._ the message from Jim said.

Confused, Melinda excused herself from dinner and proceeded to the restrooms. Before she got to it, someone grabbed her and pulled her outside. She gasped as she was pulled and braced against the wall of the restaurant. She let out a deep breath when she realized it was Jim.

"You scared me." she said, as he ran his hands up and down her arms.

She could tell he was full of lust. The way he was looking at her and the way he was touching her made the butterflies in her stomach flutter around.

"Sorry." Jim's face was a few centimeters away from hers.

Melinda stared at his lips as she absentmindedly licked her own. That made Jim want to kiss her even more. Her hands were gripping his shoulders as his hands were placed on her waist. Jim leaned in closer and lightly brushed his lips against hers. That wasn't enough for her. She pulled him back into a hot, passionate kiss as her arms wove around his neck. Jim's body pressed Melinda's against the wall even more as they continued to make out. His hands slid a little into her shirt, caressing her bare skin.

"I…love…you." Melinda mumbled into the kiss.

"I…love…you…too." Jim replied.

At that moment, as they were kissing, every doubt Melinda had about their relationship faded away. She knew that Jim loved her and would never leave her. She knew she found her perfect guy. Jim's lips trailed down to her neck and started sucking on her skin.

"Jim." she closed her eyes and gripped onto his hair.

"Melinda." he stopped kissing her and looked at her. "That night we spent together was amazing. Everything was perfect. I never felt anything like it and now, every time I see you, I remember how that felt. I loved you before that moment, but now that love is so much stronger. And I'm telling you this because I want you to know exactly how I feel. I'm not doing this for just sex or anything. I truly love you and I need you to always remember that."

Melinda smiled. Her heart melted at his words. She ran her fingers through his hair and looked into his eyes.

"I will always remember that night. It was incredible. Every time I see you, I think about it, too. I know you love me and I know that this is real. To tell you the truth, I did have my doubts about the whole thing because you never said anything about that night after it happened. I thought you were going to dump me as soon as we got home. But judging by how you just ravished me, I know you won't let me go. I love you and you need to always remember that."

"I'm glad we got all of that out and on the table." Jim smiled. "We're together. Always."

"Yes. Together, forever." she replied before kissing him.

"We better get back now before they come looking for us." Jim ran his hands up and down her sides.

"Jim, don't do that." she pushed his hands away. "You're making me want you."

"I already want you. Badly." he smirked and caressed her body.

"Please stop." she whispered. "I don't need to be more turned on."

"Baby, I need you. And soon." Jim's lips returned to her neck, kissing it. "I don't know how much longer I can go without you."

"When can we?" she asked breathlessly, with her hands roaming around his back.

"Tonight, if you can sneak away to my house." he continued to make out with her neck.

"I'll need your help so come and get me." she kissed his neck.

"You got it, babe." with one last kiss on the lips, the couple returned back to dinner.

Later that night, Melinda was up waiting for Jim. When he came, he threw pebbles onto the balcony. Melinda went over to the balcony door and smiled when she saw him. He smiled back as she opened the door and closed it behind her.

"You know, I think I saw this in a movie once." Melinda smiled.

Jim stood by the tree that ran up to the balcony of her bedroom where she was standing.

"Come down, my love." he played along.

"Oh, if only it were that easy, leaving your fears of being caught behind and climb down this tree." Melinda smiled.

"It is that easy, fair maiden. Climb down this tree and jump into my awaiting arms. Fears are but a trick of the mind." he said.

Melinda quietly laughed and began to climb the tree down. She was just about to reach the ground when she jumped onto Jim, causing him to fall down with her on top of him. They laughed.

"You okay?" Melinda asked.

"Perfect. You?" he asked.

"Same." she smiled.

As they walked to Jim's car, which was parked down the street to avoid waking anyone up in the Gordon household, they held hands swinging them like little kids. Jim stopped walking and looked at Melinda. She stopped, too.

"What?" she asked.

Without a word, Jim swung her across his back and piggybacked all the way to the car. Melinda laughed and held onto him tightly.

"Jim, what if someone catches us?" she asked as they drove the short distance to his house.

"No one is gonna catch us, I promise." Jim said. "Dan is at Vanessa's house because she's having parental issues and my parents are on a trip. I have the house to myself."

"Okay." Melina seemed to relax a little. "My parents were pretty exhausted so they won't come looking for me and the twins don't care, so I'm good."

"See? We're all good." Jim smiled.

Melinda walked into the house, with Jim following behind her. It was all dark and quiet. Melinda was about to turn the light on when Jim stopped her.

"Forget that. Lets just head to my room." he slowly slid his hands down her arms, causing her to shiver.

All she could manage was a nod. Jim led her up to his room and closed the door behind them.

"Well, make yourself comfortable." he smiled at her.

"Okay." she smiled back and plopped herself onto his bed.

"So, what do you want to do?" he asked, sheepishly.

Melinda smiled and motioned him with her finger to come closer. He walked over to her and she pulled him down, kissing him. After a few minutes of breathlessly making out, Jim and Melinda were laying down on his bed, talking.

"So, have you heard from Stephanie lately?" Melinda asked, quietly.

"Does it matter?" Jim sighed.

"Well, yeah. I need to know if she's gonna try to make my life miserable. Although, I don't see any harm of that with you in my life." she smiled.

"She's not gonna try anything. And I better make your life great." Jim laughed.

"It's an iffy situation." she joked.

"Oh really? Then why are you here?" he asked.

"It's been a good day for you." she sat on top of him.

"Well, I'm ending this good day." he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Jim." she said.

He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. She said his name again, and he still didn't respond. Melinda bent down and kissed his nose, no reaction. She kissed his lips gently, he cracked a smile. She smiled herself and ran her hands up and down his sides. Jim stiffened, trying not to react. Melinda slipped her hands into his shirt, caressing his skin.

"That's not fair!" Jim pulled her hands out of his shirt.

"What's not fair?" she asked, innocently.

"You know very well what." he held onto her wrists.

"No, I don't." she looked at him, seriously.

"Yes, you do." he said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said.

"Oh really?" Jim gently rolled over, letting him be on top. "Then I'll show you."

He slipped his hands into Melinda's shirt and caressed her skin like she had done to him before.

"No." she groaned.

His hands went up to her bra and ran them underneath it. Melinda moaned.

"Stop." she closed her eyes and gripped onto his shirt as Jim gently squeezed her breasts.

Melinda bit her lip and pulled his head down to kiss him. They started heavily making out as Jim ran his hand down to her jeans and unbuttoned them. He slipped his hand inside and stroked her over panties. Melinda moaned and tugged at his shirt. He broke the kiss as she pulled off his shirt.

The next couple of hours, the couple made love passionately. It wasn't until three o'clock in the morning that Jim and Melinda stood in her backyard kissing goodbye.

"I had an incredible night." she whispered.

They held each other tightly. One of Jim's arms were protectively around her waist while the other arm's hand held her head to his chest. Melinda had one hand in his hair with her other arm around his back.

"So did I." he kissed her hair. "I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Yes, tomorrow." she kissed him one last time before climbing up the tree that led to the balcony of her bedroom.

Jim stayed in his spot to watch her, making sure she got to her room safely. She blew him a kiss and he pretended to catch it. They exchanged smiles one last time before Melinda entered her bedroom and Jim walked back to his car.

The next morning came rather quick. Melinda had only slept for three hours and forty five minutes. Her alarm went off and Melinda practically smacked it off her nightstand.

"Five more minutes." she mumbled and drifted back to sleep.

"Where is Melinda? She's gonna be late for school." Tom walked into the kitchen.

"Uh, actually, she's not going to school today." Beth said as she finished making breakfast.

Mike and Maddie were already seated at the table waiting for their breakfast when Tom joined them.

"Why not?" he asked.

"She had a long night and I wanted her to rest today." Beth served the food and everyone dug right in.

"Alright." Tom gave in.

Around ten in the morning, Melinda heard a knock at her door. She groaned a bit as her mother opened the door.

"Sweetie, it's time for you to get up." Beth smiled.

"What time is it?" she looked at her clock. "Damn! I'm so late for school!"

"Relax, Mel. You don't have to go to school today." her mother sat on her bed.

"Really? Why?" Melinda asked.

"Well, I know you're still tired from your trip and then dinner and then sneaking out with Jim last night." Beth smirked.

"Yeah, I guess I am- Wait! What?" Melinda's eyes widened at the last part.

"Honey, I know you snuck out. I went downstairs last night to get a drink of water when I heard you and Jim laughing." Beth said.

"And you didn't bust me? Why?" Melinda asked.

"Because I know how it is to be your age and I know how happy Jim makes you. He's a great kid so I knew you weren't any kind of danger. Since you're a good, responsible teen I decided to let it go." Beth said.

"Thank you, mommy." Melinda smiled and hugged her mother. "Does dad know?"

"Of course not, otherwise you'd be in school right now." Beth chuckled.

Melinda got out of bed and got ready for breakfast. After that, she decided to text Jim.

_Sorry I'm not at school.. _she wrote.

_That's ok, I'm not either. Overslept so I didn't go at all. _Jim wrote back.

_Same here.. Yu kno my mom knew we snuck out.. _Melinda replied.

_Oh no! Really? How much trouble r u in? _Jim said.

_Surprisingly, none.. She let it slide.. How great is she? _Melinda wrote.

_The greatest. : ) N E way, I'm heading out 2 town. Wanna come with? _Jim asked.

_No thanx, baby.. I'm just gonna head back to bed. I love you.. : * _Melinda said.

_Ok. I'll see you later then. I love you too. : * _Jim replied.

And with that, Melinda went back to bed to take a nap. If only she knew what was coming just around the corner.

**Yeah, that's right. I left it like that. Evil me, huh? Well, only reviewing will get me to spill my guts. It's all on you guys now! Review!**


	14. The New Kid

**Okay, so here's the next chapter to No Ordinary Love. I had major writer's block. Still kinda do, so this chapter might not be that great. Anyway, on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over.**

Later that night, Jim was in his bedroom looking through the bags of stuff he had bought earlier at the mall. There were random things like new clothes, new cologne, new shoes, etc. But there was one item that Jim was extra excited about. It was a present for Melinda. Something he hoped she would like. Jim emptied his shopping bags and got ready for bed.

Meanwhile, Melinda was in her bedroom relaxing. Her day was spent sleeping, flipping through TV channels, and helping out her mom in the kitchen. She loved when Beth was off from work. She loved their time together. She was all mellow due to relaxing and she couldn't wait until school tomorrow. She missed Jim.

It was the next day at school. The group of friends stood in their usual spot before the bell rings. Everyone was relieved that Jim decided to stay in Grandview. That was their conversation for the morning, that and Jim and Melinda's trip.

Soon though, the bell rang and Jim walked Melinda to her first class.

"I'll see you next period." Jim said, holding her against him.

"Yeah, I love you." she kissed him lightly.

"I love you, too." he smiled and kissed her again.

Jim left for his first period class as Melinda walked into her classroom. Andrea, Hayden, Dan, Delia, Shawn, and Melinda chatted while waiting for the bell to ring. Andrea turned to Melinda.

"So, have you and Jim been together since you got home?" Andrea asked.

"Yeah. That's why I wasn't here yesterday. We were up late the night before and I woke up late. My mom offered me the day off and I took it." Melinda replied. "Have you?"

"Yup. Sunday afternoon and last night." Andrea grinned.

"Damn. And I thought I was getting it good." Melinda laughed.

"Better believe it." Andrea laughed, too.

The bell rang, signaling the start of first period, though no one bothered to stop talking.

"Alright class." Mr. Jenson called for their attention. "We have a new student starting today. Everyone, please welcome Miss Stephanie Clarke."

Melinda's head shot up from her notebook and her eyes widened at the sight. Her friends looked back and forth between Stephanie and Melinda.

"Miss Clarke, please sit wherever you like." Mr. Jenson smiled, while searching his desk for his student roster.

"Thank you." Stephanie walked over to the empty desk next to Melinda and sat down.

"Hi Melinda. Looks like we're going to be in this class together until next term. How lucky are we?" Stephanie plastered a fake smile across her face.

Melinda couldn't find her voice to speak. She continued to stare at Stephanie until she looked down at her notebook again, trying to breathe evenly. She couldn't believe Stephanie would actually switch schools just to get to Jim. It was unbelievable what extent this girl would go to just for one guy. Melinda knew why Jim was so important to her, but why was Stephanie so eager to get Jim back? She couldn't figure it out. All throughout class, that's the only thing Melinda seemed to think about. She was pulled away from her thoughts when her phone vibrated. She pulled it out when Mr. Jenson was not looking.

_Class is so boring right now._ Read the text message from Jim

_Oh, really? Well, I wish I could say the same about my class._ she wrote back.

_What happened?_ Jim wrote back.

_I'll tell you next period. This will take longer than a text message long._ Melinda pressed 'send' and put her phone back in her pocket.

The class came to an end and the bell rang signaling everyone to go to second period. Melinda rushed out of class as fast as she could without looking like noticeable. Her friends, confused by her hastiness, quickly followed her out. Too bad Melinda's exit wasn't fast enough.

"Melinda!" Stephanie called behind her.

They stopped and turned to see Stephanie walking up to them.

"I wanted to walk with you guys. I hope you don't mind." she smiled.

"Umm, I kind of do mind, Stephanie. I mean, the last time we saw each other, you were calling me names and threatening me. And now you wanna be my friend?" Melinda said as nicely as she could manage.

"Oh, that was in the past. I want to start over. With you. And with Jim." Stephanie smiled genuinely.

Melinda slightly cringed at the sound of Jim's name coming out of her mouth. She wasn't sure if she should believe her. But you know what they say: keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.

"Okay, Stephanie. Clean slate. Starting now." Melinda smiled and began walking to her next class.

Everyone followed her, including Stephanie, but Andrea pulled Melinda back.

"What the hell are you doing?" Andrea exclaimed. "You know that bitch is up to something!"

"I know. I'm keeping a close eye on her." Melinda said. "I don't buy her crap for one second."

"Ah, Melinda, you are a genius!" Andrea linked arms with her best friend.

"Don't I know it!" Melinda laughed as they started walking.

Everyone walked into class right before the bell rang. Melinda sat down in her usual seat, and frowned when she didn't see Jim seating across from her.

"Okay, delinquents." Mr. Lawson joked. "We have a new student. This is Stephanie Clarke."

Everyone just continued on as Stephanie sat at Melinda's table. She was across from Andrea, who was between Shawn and Melinda, and right next to where Jim sits.

"Alright, role call." Mr. Lawson spoke.

Role call went on as everyone just sat there talking.

"Where's Jim?" Mr. Lawson asked.

"Here. Sorry I'm late." Jim walked in and straight to the front of the classroom.

"Mr. Clancy! You better come to class on time next time or I will throw this clipboard at you." Mr. Lawson threatened, swinging his clipboard around.

"Will do, sir." Jim smiled.

He handed the teacher his excuse note and made his way to his seat. He smiled when he saw Melinda, but his smile receded when he saw Stephanie.

"What are you doing here?" Jim asked as he sat down.

"I go here now. Isn't that great?" Stephanie placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to him.

Melinda tensed up, but relaxed when Jim pushed her away.

"No, it's not. Why the hell do you go to this school now?" Jim asked angrily.

"I needed a change and I like Grandview." she smiled. "Lots to see."

"I bet." Melinda mumbled to herself. Everyone at the table could feel the tension building up between the Jim, Melinda, and Stephanie.

Before long, everyone was scattered everywhere around the room. Jim stood up abruptly and looked at Melinda.

"I'll be right back, babe. I need to talk to Stephanie." Jim leaned down and kissed her, intent that Stephanie was watching them, so he kissed her a little more passionately than usual.

"You, come with me." Jim looked at Stephanie after the kiss.

Stephanie followed Jim into the computer room. Jim immediately turned to her, pissed off.

"I know why you're here. You know, I know, and I'm sure Melinda knows. So, I'll just save you a lot of time and tell you upfront that I'm not leaving Melinda. There's nothing you can do about it anymore. We're done, I'm never coming back to you, and you can just take your cheating ass and push it against someone else. Got it?" Jim snapped.

And with that, he walked away leaving Stephanie speechless. She lightly chuckled to herself. Frankly, she liked this side of Jim. It was a side she had never seen before. Stephanie wanted Jim. And she was going to get him.

_o_

Jim and Melinda were driving home from school. They were meeting at Melinda's place to hang out since no one was going to be home for a few hours. The couple pulled up into the driveway in their separate cars.

"Alright." Melinda grabbed his hand as they walked up to the front door. "What would you like?"

They walked into the kitchen. Jim pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You." he smiled seductively.

She grinned and threw her arms around his neck.

"Well, too bad." she teased, kissing his cheek and walking away.

"Oh, so it's gonna be like that, huh?" he asked as she opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Melinda didn't answered and just took a sip of her water. Jim watched her contently for a minute as her lips circled the rim of the bottle as she drank. She licked her lips, getting the excess water off and smiled at Jim. In one swift move, he scooped her up in his arms and took her into the living room. Melinda giggled as Jim carried her. He plopped her onto the couch and climbed over her. Melinda wrapped her arms around his waist as he kissed her.

Jim and Melinda made out for about two hours, with the exception of getting up to find something to snack on. Mike and Maddie had came home from school and her parents were home from work. Jim decided it was time to go home. They walked outside to his car.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Melinda hugged him.

"I love you." he kissed her forehead.

"I love you, too." she smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips.

Jim hopped into his car and drove off after blowing a kiss to her. Melinda walked back into her house after Jim's car disappeared down the street. Unbeknownst to her, someone had been carefully watching her from across the street, observing them intently.

**Okay, I know this chapter is kind of short, and not very good. But please, bear with me. And I'm sure you all know who was watching them. How crazy can people get? Anyway, please review! Thanks guys.**


	15. Patience Wearing Thin

**SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Ghost Whisperer, but if I did, the show would definitely not be over.**

The next week, it was Monday and school came around. First period became a drag for Melinda. Stephanie sat by her everyday and talked on and on about some guy named Shane. Apparently, he was an older guy that didn't attend their school. Melinda swore she was bored to death at least twice. Class was coming to an end, so everyone packed up their stuff. With all the 'Shane' talk that Stephanie does, Melinda thought her obsession with Jim was over. Boy, was she wrong.

Stephanie accidentally knocked over one of her notebooks while putting her things together. It flew open and as Melinda picked it up, she noticed pictures of Jim, herself, and the two together plastered everywhere inside. Along with the pictures, were side notes about them. Melinda's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the page she last turned to. Stephanie turned around and gasped. She hastily ripped the notebook from Melinda's hands.

"What the hell is all that?" Melinda looked up at Stephanie.

"It's nothing." Stephanie answered quickly.

"That didn't look like nothing!" Melinda exclaimed.

The bell rang and Stephanie zoomed past everyone and out the door. Melinda ran after her, despite her friends calling her name. Once she turned the corner, she slowed down, noticing Stephanie was already out of sight. Melinda looked up and down the halls, but she couldn't spot her anywhere.

_o_

A few weeks had come and gone. Things began to get intense as Jim and Melinda were on rocky grounds. Stephanie was taking pure pleasure out of causing the two to fight.

"Melinda. Not this again." Jim let out a frustrated sigh.

"Yes, this again. I'm telling you there is something seriously deranged about her." she was getting angry.

They were at a local diner after school. The couple were trying to talk out their problems, but that just seems to make things worse.

"What kind of proof do you have?" Jim looked at her, with disbelief in his eyes.

"The damn notebook! It has pictures of you and me all over the thing!" Melinda raised her voice.

"Did anyone else see it?" he asked, angrily.

"What the hell does that matter? You should believe me. After all she has done to try to break us apart and you don't think she's a lunatic?" she asked in one breath.

Jim drank his soda without answering. Melinda could tell he was thinking something. Something he didn't want to say.

"What?" she asked, losing her patience.

"I know she tried to get me back, but what about that Shane guy? The one she's head over heels for? And how come she hasn't tried anything recently? And what about the fact that the only thing coming between us is our constant fighting about it?" Jim asked, knowing he was on to something.

"Shane could be her alibi." Melinda thought for a minute. "Someone to throw us off. She hasn't tried anything because that would be too suspicious. And if you would just believe me, we wouldn't have to fight about this!"

"You know, you're sounding like the crazy one right now." Jim leaned back in his seat, covering his face with his hands.

Melinda's face twisted into a disbelieving look. He did not just call her crazy. This was just too much.

"You know what? You're right. I am crazy." she tossed her napkin onto the table, grabbed her bag, and stood up. "I'm crazy for thinking Stephanie is psychotic, I'm crazy for thinking she's done with us - even though I saw her notebook, and I'm crazy for wasting my time on you."

Melinda turned abruptly and walked out of the diner.

"Melinda!" Jim stood up from the table.

He quickly threw some money on the table and grabbed his stuff. By the time he got outside, Melinda was already driving away.

"Damn it." he clenched his jaw.

Were they over?

_o_

Melinda couldn't really focus on the road as tears clouded her vision.

"Don't cry over someone who doesn't trust you." she told herself.

She pounded her fists on the wheel as the tears fell freely from her eyes. After almost getting into an accident, Melinda made it home. She noticed no one was home, so she walked into the living room and threw her stuff on the couch. Walking into the kitchen, she turned off her phone. Jim had been calling her nonstop since she left the diner. She didn't want to deal with him at all. Melinda sighed as she grabbed a can of soda from the fridge and a cupcake from the tray off the counter. She sat at the kitchen table and ate her snack. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened with Jim. She was so angry at him for looking at her like she was insane. It pained her that he didn't believe her.

In the midst of her thoughts, there were rapid knocks coming from the front door. Melinda got up and went to answer the door. Her heart twisted after she opened the door, but kept her resistance.

"What do you want?" she asked angrily.

Jim pushed her into the house and shut the door behind them.

"What the hell?" she shouted.

He turned to her and just stood there, staring at her. He studied her body language. She stood there; her feet shoulder-width apart, hands clenched at her sides, and her face twisted with anger. But when he looked closer, he saw her standing as if she was waiting for something, trying to control her anger. Her eyes didn't mirror her body, but mirrored the same thing in his eyes: pain.

Jim took a step toward her, but she took a step back.

"Melinda," he started in a tone she knew too well.

"No." her icy façade began to melt. "Don't 'Melinda' me. You can't come in here like that and act like everything is okay, because I've got news for you, I'm not taking back what I said."

"Mel," he started slowly. "I know I said some things that hurt you, and I wish I never said it. I didn't mean any of it, not in the slightest bit. I was just so frustrated at the situation and all our constant fighting. I know how tense this whole 'Stephanie' thing is, but I don't want you to become obsessed with it." Jim tried to apologize. "I guess all I'm trying to say is I'm sorry and I understand, so no hard feelings."

He turned to the door without giving her another look. He didn't want her to see the tears in his eyes. Just when he was about to leave, Melinda spoke up.

"Wait! No hard feelings? What do you mean?" she asked, worry colored her voice.

Jim didn't turn around. He stood frozen in his place. Melinda ran up to him and roughly grabbed his arm to turn him around. His body faced her, but he looked down to the ground.

"No hard feelings about what?" she asked impatiently.

Finally, Jim looked at her. He didn't have to say anything. Melinda knew what he was talking about. Tears formed in her eyes.

"No." she shook her head, gripping his shirt. "No."

The tears spilled out of her eyes like a waterfall. Without warning, she started pounding on his chest. He stood there and took every hit.

"No, you can't do this! You can't leave me! I love you, please don't leave me!" Melinda screamed and fell to her knees.

Jim's face was damp with his own tears. He knelt down in front of her and pulled her into his embrace. She flung her arms around his neck and held on for dear life. After a long moment of crying, Melinda had reduced to sniffles. Jim slowly let her go, but Melinda just held on tighter.

"Don't worry," he whispered in her ear.

The two got up and went into the living room. Jim sat down on the couch and motioned for her to sit beside him. Melinda stood by the couch for a moment, then sat on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. He chuckled and slipped his arms around her.

"I didn't mean what I said at the diner." she said quietly.

"I was hoping you didn't. I really am sorry for what I said." he said.

"I'm sorry, too." Melinda apologized.

"You're forgiven." he smiled.

"Jim?" she said.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"Do you want us to end?" she asked, nervously.

"I think you know the answer to that, Melinda." he responded.

"I love you, so much." her voice quivered.

"Hey," Jim lifted her chin up with his finger and looked into her eyes. "I love you, too."

She smiled and leaned toward him. He kissed her with as much love as he could give her. She kissed back just as eagerly.

"Mel, I think we should stop before this goes any further." Jim said as Melinda ran her hands inside his shirt while kissing his neck.

"But I want you, Jim." she said in a baby voice. "Don't you want me anymore?"

"Of course I do, baby." he brushed the hair out of her face. "But your parents might walk in or Mike or Maddie might see us."

"Okay." she said sadly.

"Oh, come on. Don't be sad." he kissed her gently.

Melinda pouted and looked away from him. He smiled and turned her face to him before kissing her ardently.

"We can hang out at my place tomorrow." Jim suggested.

"Tomorrow is so far away." she sighed. "But I'll wait."

"That's my girl." he smiled and kissed her.

Melinda walked Jim out and kissed him goodbye before he got in his car and left.

The next morning, Melinda was sitting in first period, waiting for Stephanie. She wanted some answers about the notebook and why she was so obsessed with Jim. But, Stephanie never showed. Melinda checked her second period as well. No sign of her there, either.

"Alright. Exams are coming up soon which means the end of this course is coming, also." Mr. Lawson spoke.

The course was ending, and a new term was starting after Christmas break. That's how the four period class schedule worked. Mr. Lawson was lecturing about the end of course exams and the schedule for exam days. However, Melinda was having trouble paying attention. Jim was sitting across from her looking as handsome as always. They haven't been intimate in weeks, due to their fighting, and Melinda was craving him. Badly. She stared at him, lust in her eyes. He was wearing faded black jeans, that hung low on his waist, and a black button down shirt with a white wife-beater underneath. Melinda was mentally undressing him in her mind. She shifted in her seat, imagining what she wanted to do to him. Suddenly, she couldn't sit there just staring at him anymore.

"Mr. Lawson?" Melinda raised her hand.

"Yes, Melinda?" he answered.

"May I use the restroom?" she asked quickly.

"If you must." Mr. Lawson said in mock annoyance.

Melinda practically bolted to the door. Jim watched her in concern. She ran out so fast, he couldn't tell what was wrong. So, he asked to use the restroom and followed her.

Melinda walked into the bathroom and let out a deep breath. It took all her might not to jump on Jim right in class and have her way with him.

"Mel?" she heard Jim's voice throughout the girls' restroom.

"Yeah?" she answered as evenly as possible.

"You okay? You walked out of class so fast I thought something was wrong." he called in.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." she said.

"You sure?" she could hear the worry in his voice.

"I'm really fine. Really." Melinda smiled.

"Okay. Can you come out then?" Jim asked.

Melinda was quiet for a second. With one more deep breath, she walked out of the restroom and was confronted by a concerned-looking Jim. He rested his hands on either side of her neck and looked into her eyes.

"You sure you're really alright?" he asked, oblivious to her current state.

"Yes, Jim. I'm okay." she smiled reassuringly.

"Alright." he kissed her gently on the lips.

Jim tried to deepen it, but Melinda pulled away.

"Let's get back to class." she started walking away.

Having him touch her in any way was making it difficult for her. Jim stood in his place, confusion all over his face, but eventually followed her. All through the school day, Melinda tried to avoid Jim as much as possible. All she wanted to do at the moment was control her urges, but unfortunately, her avoidance made it look like she didn't want to be around him.

It was the end of the day and Melinda had to stop by her locker for some stuff. Most of the friends were in the parking lot.

"Hey, what's wrong with Melinda?" Shawn asked.

"I don't know. Did I do something?" Jim asked, leaning up against his car.

"Not that I know of." Andrea spoke up.

"She's been really jumpy today." Jim said.

"Well, good luck to ya. Here she comes." Shawn said, then Andrea left.

Melinda walked up to Jim and looked at him for a moment before speaking.

"Can I talk to you? In the car?" she asked.

"Oh, this doesn't sound good." he half-joked.

The couple climbed into Jim's car and shut the doors.

"So, what's up?" Jim asked, turning to her.

Melinda said nothing and pulled him by his shirt to her. She crashed her lips on his in an aggressive kiss. Jim was shocked at her turn around in behavior, but kissed her back with just as much force. He placed his right hand on her neck and his left on her waist. Melinda gripped his shirt with one hand and gripped his hair with the other.

"Jim," Melinda breathed in between kisses. "I really need you."

"Then, why were acting so weird today?" he pulled away. "You were avoiding me."

"Because every time you're around me, I get so turned on, even if you're just standing beside me. God, I want you so much." Melinda ran her hands over his chest.

"I want you, too." Jim kissed her softly. "But, next time, don't avoid me. It didn't feel good and I thought something was wrong. Just tell me what's going on."

"Okay, I will." Melinda kissed him.

"Okay. Do you think you can control yourself until we get to my house?" Jim joked.

"I guess I'll have to. There's not much I can do until I get there." she said.

"Actually," he smirked. "There is one thing you could do while driving."

"And what would that be?" she asked him.

"Pleasure yourself." he grinned.

"Careful, Clancy. I just might do that and not need you." Melinda smiled.

"Oh, you'll need me." Jim laughed.

"You know what? I don't think I do." Melinda got out of his car. "I can handle this all by myself."

Melinda got into her car and started to drive away. Jim followed her. He pulled out his phone and speed dialed her.

"Hello?" Melinda answered.

"You better be going to my house." Jim smiled.

"Why would I go there?" she asked.

"You know very well why." he laughed.

"No, I don't think I will be needing your services." Melinda smirked.

She turned left at the light, which was a shortcut to Jim's house. He grinned.

"Oh, alright, then. I guess you won't find out what I've learned." he fired back.

"And what is it that you learned, mister?" she said playfully.

"You won't know unless you let me show you." he said.

"Hmm…" Melinda thought as she pulled up into Jim's driveway.

Jim pulled up behind her. No one else was home, which made him extremely happy. The two climbed out of their cars. Melinda leaned up against her car and smiled seductively at Jim. He walked over to her and pressed up against her, placing his hands on her waist.

"Now, I think we have some business to take care of." Jim said in a husky tone.

Melinda's breathing became heavy. She nodded and smiled as Jim pulled her away from the car and into his house.

**I know it took me a while to update. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Please review.**


	16. All the Pressure Weighing Down

**It's update time! Please enjoy.**

**DISCLAIMER: Alas, I do not own Ghost Whisperer. It would not be over if I did.**

"I don't think I can handle another hour and a half of exam review." Andrea complained as they walked out of their first period class.

"Hmm, well too bad for you." Melinda chuckled. "You have another five hours or so of it."

"I hate this time of year." Andrea groaned.

"Believe me, I do, too." Delia sighed.

"Ditto." Hayden chimed in.

"Oh, guys, come on. It will be over soon. And even so, our exams are easy." Melinda tried to cheer them.

"Not my Algebra exam." Shawn said.

"Yeah, you know me and math." Delia said.

"Yeah." Hayden and Dan said simultaneously.

"Oh, you guys are not looking on the bright side. You're all geniuses. You'll pass, so quit your worrying!" Melinda smiled.

Just then, the group saw Melissa run down the hall in tears. Confusion spread across all of their faces.

"What's wrong with her?" Melinda asked out loud.

"I don't know, but we gotta go to class. We can find out later." Shawn spoke.

Everyone agreed and went to class. Mr. Lawson wasn't in class yet. So, everyone ran up to Kyle, assuming he knew what was wrong. Fortunately, he did. Unfortunately, the answer was not a good one.

"She saw me with Kimberly." Kyle sighed. "We were just talking, but then…then we kissed."

Groans came from everyone in the group.

"Why in the hell would you do that?" Melinda asked, obviously irritated.

"Are you insane?" Bobby butted in.

"What the hell!" Holly slapped Kyle over the head.

"You kissed her?" Delia exclaimed.

"Good one, McCall. Real nice." Will sighed.

"I didn't plan on it happening, it just did." Kyle spoke.

"Oh, please. If Jim ever fed me that crap, I'd have to slap him in the face." Melinda scoffed.

"Whoa, hold on a minute." Jim looked at Melinda. "If it just happened, there's nothing I could do about that."

"It doesn't _just happen_, Jim. You could have pulled your lips away from hers. Did you ever think about that?" Melinda was getting angry.

"If it-" Jim was interrupted.

"Umm, how about you guys don't do that right now." Will chimed in. "Kyle's the one in this problem."

"I'm with Melissa on this one." Melinda shot a glare at Jim.

"Yeah, me too. I would be just as pissed." Andrea said.

"Typical." Shawn mumbled.

"What does that mean?" Andrea asked.

"You're always siding with Melinda." Shawn said. "Whatever she says you jump right up and agree."

"That is not true." Andrea protested. "And what the hell gives you the right to say anything about me and Melinda?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Shawn raised his hands up. "Did Melinda tell you to say that?"

"Hey! She's got a point. I'm her friend, she has a right to listen to me." Melinda shot back.

"Yeah, you have a problem with Andrea having friends?" Vanessa asked.

"That's not what he was saying." Bobby said. "He's just saying that you don't always have to agree with your friends."

"You do if they're right." Hayden spat.

"What the hell are you getting mad at me for?" Bobby got mad.

"Can everyone just calm down?" Matt spoke for the first time.

"Shut up, Matt!" Sarah yelled, then turned to Kyle. "Look what you started!"

"Don't yell at him!" Dan looked at Sarah.

"Yeah, it wasn't his fault!" Tim exclaimed.

"Don't yell at her!" Delia shouted.

By this point, everyone was fighting with everyone. The rest of the class just stared at the huge commotion going on in the back of the room.

"ALRIGHT!" Mr. Lawson screamed, after just walking in and seeing them.

The group silenced and looked at their teacher.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Lawson asked.

"Oh, nothing, Mr. Lawson. We just have a few problems with loyalty." Melinda stared at the guys.

The girls nodded their agreements. The boys started protesting when Mr. Lawson stopped them.

"We'll deal with this later." he walked back to the front of the class.

The boys sat together and the girls sat together. Melissa came in late. After she gave her note to the teacher, the girls pulled her to sit with them. While Mr. Lawson was going over the exam and answering questions, the girls filled Melissa in on what happened before the bell rang.

"Thanks for backing me up, you guys." Melissa smiled gratefully.

"Of course. You were right to be angry." Delia smiled.

"Yeah, I wouldn't have put up with that." Holly said.

By the end of the class, the boys didn't talk to the girls and vice versa. Everyone was just too angry. The bickering went on for the rest of the day. Avoidance and ignorance just fueled the fire. After the last class of the day, Melinda went to see one of her favorite teachers, Mrs. Henderson. She always stopped by at the end of the day.

"Hey, Mrs. Henderson." Melinda smiled, walking into her classroom.

"Hey, beautiful!' Mrs. Henderson smiled. "How was your day?"

"Horrible." Melinda sighed. "I got into a fight with my friends. Well, actually, we all got into a fight with each other, including Jim."

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I take it that's why Jim is not with you today?" Mrs. Henderson responded.

"Yeah. It started off with my friend, Kyle, who kissed another girl besides his girlfriend and then it turned into a huge brawl." Melinda shook her head in disappointment.

"You teenagers and your drama." Mrs. Henderson laughed. "I'm glad I'm not one anymore."

"Hey, you have just as much problems as I do." Melinda laughed, too.

"Yeah, yeah." Mrs. Henderson smiled. "It'll all work out. It always does."

"I hope you're right." Melinda sighed. "Alright, I gotta go."

"Alright. Take care, sweetie." Mrs. Henderson gave her a hug.

"You, too." Melinda smiled and left.

Once she got to the parking lot, most of her friends' cars were already gone. Jim's car was gone, as well. Melinda sighed and shook her head.

"I'm not gonna deal with this right now." she told herself.

She climbed into her car. Before she pulled out of the parking lot, Melinda's phone started to ring. Her phone was connected to her car, so she pressed the phone button on the steering wheel, and her call was heard throughout the car.

"Hello?" Melinda spoke.

"Hey, it's us." Melissa answered.

"Us, as in who?" Melinda asked, leaving the school lot.

"The girls." Vanessa said.

"Okay. What's up?" Melinda asked.

"It was all a mistake." Melissa answered. "Kyle told me exactly what happened."

"Oh, so what happened?" Melinda replied.

"Well, when I saw them together, they were just talking. I didn't think anything of it." Melissa started. "But then, it got all quiet between them and she said something to him. He looked behind him then nodded. Then they kissed. I felt my chest go cold. I didn't see what happened after because I just ran off. But, he came and told me what happened. Kyle looked behind him to see Kimberly's ex-boyfriend watching them. So, she asked if he would just kiss her once to make Brent jealous. So, he did. It was just one stupid kiss."

"Did you talk to Kimberly?" Holly asked.

"Yeah, I practically had to cut in between her and Brent. She told me the same story and apparently Brent had came up to talk to her and they got back together." Melissa said.

"Wow. Who would have thought?" Melinda smiled, turning onto the freeway.

"But how come Kyle didn't tell us this in Lawson's class today?" Hayden asked.

"Because we got into that huge fight, remember?" Delia said.

"Oh, yeah." Hayden chuckled.

"How did that happen, anyway?" Melissa asked.

"You know, I really don't know. Everyone was just sniping at everyone." Melinda said.

"It's probably all the pressure from exams." Sarah said.

"But we were all fine before that." Melinda said.

"Maybe it was a subconscious thing. You know, like mood swings. But, after exams, we'll all be fine." Andrea said.

"Oh, well, what do we do about the guys?" Vanessa asked.

"Hmm. I don't know." Melinda said. "I guess we all just need to cool down a little before we start talking to each other again. I don't want them yelling at us, and I don't want to yell, either."

"Good idea. Me neither." Andrea said.

"Alright. Talk to you guys later." Melinda pulled into her driveway.

"Bye." everyone said almost in unison.

Melinda parked the car, grabbed her stuff, and walked into her house.

_o_

"I can't believe we got into a fight." Jim said.

"We all did, man." Dan sighed.

The brothers were sitting in their living room, just hanging out. They were discussing the fight that took place in class.

"I cannot believe Melinda wouldn't believe me if I said it would just happen." Jim said.

"Jim, would you have believed her?" Dan asked.

"Of course I would!" Jim exclaimed.

"Would you?" Dan gave him a pointed look. "Let me set the scene for you. You're walking out of class, all happy and looking for Melinda. Then, you see her with some guy. They're talking and laughing. You're okay with that. But then, they kiss. How would you feel if she said it just happened?"

"I would kick that guy's ass and I would have argued with Melinda that she could have stopped it." Jim sighed.

"Exactly. That's how she feels. So, now do you understand?" Dan asked.

"Yeah. I shouldn't have gotten mad at her." Jim said.

"No, you shouldn't have. This…" Dan pulled out his cell phone. "…is what you guys are supposed to be like."

He showed Jim the pictures he took of him and Melinda laying down on the couch sleeping.

"I hate to see you guys fighting." Dan said.

"When did you take those?" Jim asked with a smile.

"After you guys got back together. I came in and you were sleeping on the couch. I thought it was cute, and I kind of use it as inspiration." Dan answered.

"Inspiration? For what?" Jim asked.

"You two inspire me to have a great relationship with Vanessa. I want the kind of love you have. It's really great." Dan smiled.

"Thanks, man." Jim hugged his brother.

"No problem. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a girlfriend to make up with." Dan got off the couch.

"Me, too." Jim stood up as well. "Hey, send me one of those pictures."

"Alright." Dan smiled.

The two left their houses, climbed into their cars and headed their separate ways. Jim arrived at Melinda's doorstep about five minutes later. He was about to knock when Melinda opened the door.

"Uh, hi." he said nervously.

"Umm, I won't be home. I need to go somewhere." Melinda closed the door behind her and locked it.

"Mel," he gently grabbed her arm when she walked by him.

"Jim, I don't want to do this right now." she looked down at the floor.

"I just want to say I'm sorry. I overreacted. I would feel the same way if you were in that position." he apologized.

"I'm sorry, too." she looked up at him. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"I forgive you." he smiled.

"I forgive you, too. But, we can't hang out. I need to go." she started walking to her car. "Maddie has a volleyball game."

"Okay." Jim sighed. "Can we have lunch tomorrow?"

"I'll think about it." Melinda joked and climbed into her car.

"Alright. I love you." he smiled at her.

"I love you, too." she smiled back.

She stuck her head out of the window, waiting for a kiss. Jim smiled and kissed her gently.

"Bye." she said.

"Bye, baby." he replied.

Melinda pulled out of the driveway and was off. Jim waited until her car was out of sight before turning to his car.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?" a voice called out to him.

Jim turned around and shock spread across his face.

"I thought you skipped town." he said.

"I couldn't leave without you." the person answered.

"I'll never leave with you. I'm with Melinda." Jim turned and climbed into his car.

"You're mine, Jim. You always will be." she smiled.

"I'm no longer yours, Stephanie. So get the fuck out of my life." Jim started the car.

"Oh, I can't leave yet. Not 'til I've done my job." she said, then left.

Jim left Melinda's house and zoomed down the street. Her words replayed in his mind. What job did she have to finish? What the hell was going to happen?

**Ah, you know the drill. REVIEW! Thanks guys.**


	17. A Time for Release

**Now, this story has been on hiatus for a real lengthy amount of time. But no worries, I didn't give up on it. Please enjoy this chapter, and the next will be worth the waits.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Ghost Whisperer.**

It's been about two weeks since Jim's last encounter with Stephanie. Melinda had no clue about it; he didn't want her to worry. It was in the back of his mind, always resurfacing with wild theories he had concocted. God, the amount of stress that deranged girl put into his life, he just wanted to crawl under a rock and forget all about it. Yeah, that sounded perfect at the moment.

It was the end of another school day and the stressful week of exams was done. All the students were ecstatic, glad they got them over with. The dismissal bell rang about five minutes ago, signaling the end of the day. Everyone was heading to the buses and parking lot, more than ready to go home to begin the weekend. Jim was in the parking lot, waiting by his car. He was so busy musing about his issues, he didn't notice a certain brunette come up to him and wrap her arms around his waist. He snapped back to reality and spun around to come face-to-face with Melinda. He couldn't help the smile that was creeping onto his face.

"You okay? You seemed to be lost for a minute there." she spoke lacing her fingers together behind his back.

"Yeah, I'm fine." he smiled, pulling her into his embrace. "Just thinking about the exams and other stuff." _Lots of stuff._ he thought to himself.

"Oh, well, don't stress too much. You did just fine." she kissed him gently.

"Thanks, honey." he replied before another quick kiss. "So, that offer to hang out still stands. The parents are on a business trip for the weekend and Dan will be gone tonight. What do ya say?"

Melinda smiled and laced her fingers through Jim's as they walked to the driver's side of her car. It's been a little while since they've been together. And with it being Friday, there was no need to get a good night's sleep for school the next day.

"Well, Mike is going over to a friend's house and Maddie has volleyball practice until my mom gets home. I'm free to do whatever." Melinda said.

"Good." Jim smiled and opened the door for her. "I will see you at my house, then."

"Yes, after I stop by my house to pick up a few things." she replied.

"Alright. I'll see you later." he kissed her sweetly.

"You know, if you want to turn me on," she leaned in close to his ear, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You're gonna have to do better than that."

Jim was getting turned on by the way she was whispering in his ear. He kissed her hard on the lips as his hands found her ass. Melinda yelped quietly into his mouth as he squeezed her behind with force. She felt heat pool between her legs. She quickly pulled away.

"Alright, we better leave before I take you right here." she smirked, pushing him away.

"See you later, babe." he laughed as he walked back to his car.

Melinda had to remember how to breathe while she drove home. Thoughts of Jim were making it hard to think. That guy was such a turn on. She finally pulled up into her driveway and ran into the house. Making a beeline to her bedroom, Melinda thought of a list of things she needed to take to Jim's house.

After grabbing her overnight bag, she threw in some night clothes and clothes to wear tomorrow along with her toothbrush, body wash, face wash, and her phone charger. She made sure to pack a sexy outfit that she had bought while on a shopping trip with Andrea. She really hoped Jim liked it. After everything she needed were in her overnight bag, she locked up her house and made her way to her boyfriend's. Jim answered the door a minute after she rang the doorbell.

"Hey." he smiled.

"Hi." she smiled. Jim let her in and they went into the kitchen.

"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" he asked.

"No." Melinda replied. "But, I would like a place to change. I'm not comfortable in this anymore."

Jim was oblivious to what she was implying. But, he led her up to his room and gave her his bathroom to change in. Being the gentleman that he was, he sat on his bed and waited for her to come out, so they could watch a movie or something. What he saw was not what he expected. There, standing in the now open doorway, stood Melinda. She had her wavy hair down and was wearing a blood red lingerie piece. It was a very revealing bra with a tiny g-string. She also had a see through robe on. There were strings of beads dangling here and there, making the outfit that much sexier. Jim's mouth was slightly opened as he stared at her in awe. Melinda loved the way he was looking at her. She smiled and slowly walked over to him.

"Do you like it?" she turned slowly to give him a view of everything.

"Uhh," he stammered. "I…I love it. You look…you look, uh, beautiful."

"Thanks." she grinned.

She leaned down and kissed him gently on the lips, then walked away. Jim, who was a little confused, followed her out of the room. Melinda was in the kitchen, looking for something to eat in the fridge. Jim came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her neck a few times. Melinda smiled and moved out of his embrace.

"Oh, so I have to chase you?" Jim smirked, finally catching on.

"Hey, I'm not easy." she replied with a grin.

"Oh, really?" he smiled. "Well, what do you think I am?"

"I think you're a sex-driven guy who just doesn't know how to keep it in his pants." she laughed.

"Hmm…" Jim mused as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now, I wonder why that would be your assumption. I mean, how could a guy keep his eyes, or his hands, off of a girl that looks like you?"

He gestured to Melinda's outfit, making her look down at what she was wearing. Damn, she forgot about that.

"Well," Melinda smiled, looking back up at him. "it's called resistance. This is a test of your will power. I mean, if you had a girlfriend, but you saw a hot girl dressed like this, would you be able to keep your hands off of that girl?"

"Of course I would. I don't cheat on my girlfriend, no matter how hot the other girl is. Besides, my girl is the hottest I've ever seen, so there's no need to look elsewhere." Jim answered honestly, making Melinda drop the charade.

"You really think that?" she asked innocently.

"Mel, you should know I do." he moved over to her and pulled her into his embrace. "I love you, and I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that."

"I love you, too." she smiled and kissed him.

Jim kissed her back as he lifted her into his arms, making his way up to his bedroom, where they shared bliss together. The couple soon fell asleep after cuddling and a bit of pillow talk. Night fell over the city, and after the pair's festivities, they thought they deserved a good nap.

Not until late, Melinda woke up to an empty bed. Rain was pouring relentlessly over Grandview with howling winds, streaks of lightning, and loud claps of thunder. She wasn't afraid of thunderstorms, but she never wanted to be alone during them. Melinda pulled the sheet around herself and went downstairs to find Jim. The house was dark and she clumsily made her way to the only light on in the house.

"You sound like you're still half asleep." Jim chuckled when Melinda came into the kitchen.

"That's because I am." she retorted. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Because you looked like an angel sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you." he smiled. "But now, you look like a goddess in a toga."

Melinda looked down at the sheet wrapped around her body and smiled.

"When you weren't in bed, I had to find you so I just pulled this on." she spoke.

"You didn't have to. I'm the only one here and I don't mind seeing you nude." Jim grinned.

"Of course you don't." Melinda giggled. "But, I wasn't sure if Dan had came back or not and what a show that would be."

"Good point." he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her sheet clad body. "I don't want to share this with anyone."

"What are you doing?" she looked over his shoulder to see food splayed over the whole kitchen island.

"Well, I was going to bring you food in bed, but you ruined it." he pouted slightly, making Melinda chuckled.

"I'm sorry." she tiptoed up to kiss him lightly. "What exactly were you planning on feeding me?"

Melinda walked over to the island to observe all the food. She couldn't figure out what all the ingredients would come out to be. Jim came behind her.

"Well, I wasn't sure what to feed you, actually. I just pulled out random things and went from there." he smiled at her.

"Oh, well, I see you already started making something here." she poked at the odd looking sandwich in front of her.

"Hey, it's my own concoction. And it's really good." he laughed.

"Doesn't look too appetizing." she scrunched her nose.

"Just try it." Jim picked it up and held it to her mouth.

"No, I don't think-" she started.

"Please." he poked out his bottom lip.

Melinda sighed and hesitantly took a bite of the sandwich. She chewed thoughtfully, inspecting the taste. Surprisingly, it was a sensation she wasn't expecting.

"Is that…peanut butter and…pickles?" Melinda asked in between chews.

"Yup. It works together if you have the right sauce." Jim smiled.

"Insane. This shouldn't taste good, but it does." she smiled. "You're a genius."

"Why thank you." he gave her a bow.

She grabbed the sandwich out of his hands and began eating it. Jim smiled and mad his own. Ran still came down heavily as the two filled their stomachs with their exotic creations. Soon enough, they were cuddled up on the couch watching late TV. Jim glanced down at Melinda, who was resting comfortably against his side. She was still wearing the bed sheet.

"Babe, don't you think you should change, you know, into clothes?" he slightly chuckled.

"Hmm, the thought did occurred to me, but I figured what's the point? I'm just going to be naked again, so…" she looked up at him.

"Is that so?" he grinned. "And what makes you think you will be?"

Melinda got up, unwrapped the sheet from her body and climbed onto Jim's lap. She could feel him under her and she smiled.

"Answer your question?" she asked, nibbling on his earlobe.

Jim smiled and pulled her back before kissing her senseless.

_o_

The prison warden, accompanied by two officers, walked passed the jail cells on the third floor. The intensity on his face was unmistakable. He finally stopped at the very last cell, peering inside. He pulled out the ring of keys from his pocket. Finding the right key, he unlocked the cell door and yanked it open.

"Grey. Let's go." the warden spoke, his voice like steel.

The prisoner stared at him for a moment, then stood up. The two officers escorted him downstairs to the main offices on the first floor. The warden sat down at his desk, with the prisoner in front of him.

"Your sentence was ten years, but ever since you got here, you have been treating everyone with respect, you don't cause any trouble, and well, I don't see any reason to keep you here anymore. I think you've learned your lesson. I'm letting you out on parole." the warden started writing down the terms and conditions on the convict's record. "But even the tiniest slip up, you're back in this hell, you got it?"

"I can assure you, I will never step foot in this place again. You have my word." the prisoner smiled.

"Good, this place is not a home." the warden remarked. "You can go grab whatever it is you own right now and then come back down here to meet with your lawyer. He will be accompanying you out."

The prisoner smiled and left the office. On his way back up to his cell, the smile never left his face. He was being released, after all this time. He knew if he played the angel card, it would be rewarding. Now, it was time to finish what he started. However, criminal or not, he stuck to his promise. Never again would he be back in this prison. After all, you can't arrest a dead man.

**Finally, right? You all got to chapter 17! Man, it was kind of hard to write this one, I'll admit. But, I think I did a good job. Yes, it was a tad short, but I hope it was enjoyable. Please review, thanks guys.**


	18. Not One Day Wasted

**Hey readers. It's been a while, huh? Well, here's chapter 18. This story is sadly coming to an end soon. About two more chapters after this and it's finished. But, I am working on a sequel to this story. So, I hope you will read it when it comes out. Now, without further ado, Chapter 18...**

Months have gone by. The last weeks of the school year were closing in and the summer was raging with plans. There wasn't one high school student who was sad to see the year come to an end. With only three weeks left of the school year, Jim, Melinda, and all of their friends were planning on making them memorable. It was their last few months of freedom. Senior year was all about preparing for college and finding jobs to hold down, but that was going to wait, for they had other ideas in mind.

The final bell had rung. Melinda, Andrea, and Vanessa were walking down to the parking lot to meet everyone else. It was Monday, and every Monday meant all sixteen friends spent the afternoon together. It became somewhat of a tradition since the second half of the year had began.

"So, what's the plan for this week?" Melinda asked as everyone stood around in the parking lot.

"I think we should go to Denny's and hang out there. They have an arcade now." Tim suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds good." Vanessa said. "I bet I could finally beat Melinda at skeeball now."

"Ha! In your dreams. I'm a champ." Melinda smirked.

"Yeah, I wouldn't go there." Jim smiled.

"Well, then it's settled. Let's go to Denny's." Shawn said, and everyone climbed into their cars.

Once everyone pulled up at Denny's, the group decided to go straight to the arcade.

"Melinda! Let's go play Dance Dance Revolution!" Andrea squealed and dragged Melinda over to the setup.

"No, Andrea, I'm not good at this game." Melinda groaned.

"Come on. It's just fun." Andrea smiled.

Much to Melinda's dismay, everyone came over to watch as they played the game. They were hooting and hollering, making Melinda and Andrea laugh so hard they couldn't concentrate on the game.

"I won!" Andrea gloated, jumping off of the dance mat.

"Oh, whatever. I knew you would." Melinda smiled.

"Because I'm unstoppable!" Andrea struck a superhero pose, causing Melinda to laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, Wonder Woman. Let's go get something to eat." she dragged Andrea back to the rest of the group and they all sat down to enjoy their meal together.

A few hours later, everyone called it a day. Jim and Melinda were outside saying goodbye.

"Remember tomorrow we have to get started on that project." Melinda said, running her hands over his chest.

"I think it's incredibly stupid to even have this project. It's the end of the year!" he exclaimed. Melinda laughed at his childish behavior.

"Teachers are just weird like that." she shrugged.

"Well, I guess it's not that bad. As least I have you for my partner." Jim wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You better not be thinking I'll do all the work." she raised her eyebrows accusingly.

"It _is_ tempting." he smiled, earning a slap to the chest from Melinda. "Just kidding. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do it."

"Hmm, be careful. I just might take you up on that." she smirked.

"I might like it." he retaliated before kissing her passionately. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye." she whispered, giving him one last kiss, then getting into her car.

Jim watched her go. He climbed into his car and headed home.

_o_

An abandoned cabin about four miles out of town rested quietly in the woods. A dim light flickered in the front window. It was the only light visible throughout the entire cabin signifying occupants. A car pulled up, shining its headlights brightly through the windows for a quick second before shutting off, throwing the woods back into a morose darkness. The floorboards creaked as the person climbed up the steps and made it to the front door without falling through the decaying wood.

"Honey, I'm home." She said while pushing the door open.

"You think you're funny, don't you?" a voice flowed from the living room.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a stand-up comedian, but-"

"Just shut up and get in here." he huffed.

"Rude! You know, if you didn't have something I want, I wouldn't even be here." She walked into the living room as he clicked the TV off and stood to face her.

"Did you get it?" he asked.

"Well, aren't we straight to the point tonight." she smiled calmly. "Don't you wanna open a bottle of wine first?"

He smirked. "Aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

"Aren't you a little too old to be fraternizing with me?" she shot back.

"Cute. Did you get it or not?"

She pulled a brown paper bag out of her purse and tossed it to him. "I got it."

He opened the bag and smiled. Pulling out a nine millimeter gun, he inspected it carefully. "I haven't held one of these in such a long time."

"Feels good, huh?" she smiled.

"Yeah, it does. It'll feel even better when I get that girl." he grinned evilly. "Almost four years and she thinks she got rid of me."

"How exactly did she get away from you?" she asked curiously.

The smile on his face disappeared. "That's not important. What is important is that this time, she won't be saved."

"I'll make sure of that. Once she's out of the way, I can take back what's mine." she chuckled sinfully.

He crossed the room, to the other side, and stood to look at a photograph pinned to the dark wood that made up the wall. "I'm back, Melinda Gordon. And I'm coming to get you." He lifted the gun and shot a bullet, right between her eyes.

(((o)))

"Jim, we really need to focus on this project." Melinda said as he sat there with his lips glued to her neck.

It was the next day and the couple sat in the living room at Melinda's house. They were suppose to be working on their school project, but it was a difficult task keeping Jim focused.

"Jim, we're going to get a bad grade." she pulled his head back, running her fingers through his hair.

"Fine." he grunted, turning her attention back to his work.

Melinda sighed. "Come on. Don't be like that."

"Like what? I'm doing my work." he mutter.

"Baby, don't act like I don't want you. It's just that this grade is important to me. Please understand." she spoke gently.

"I understand." Jim nodded his head, but he didn't look up at her.

She stared at him for a moment before returning to her project. Tom had stopped by while they were working, to grab some files he had forgotten, then left them alone again. An hour later, progress was made and half the project was done.

"Okay, that was all we had to do today." Melinda said as she began to pack up all their materials.

"Alright." Jim helped her clean up. After the materials were put away, Jim grabbed his things. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait." she said. She walked over to him and kissed him sweetly. "Are you mad at me?"

Jim smiled and pulled her close. "No. I understand. Work first, play later."

"Good." she smiled. "Unfortunately, play has to be tomorrow. My mom will be home soon."

"Hmm…of all the luck." he grinned.

"Yeah. So, tomorrow. We will be meeting at your place." Melinda wrapped her arms around his neck.

"See you later, Mel." he whispered, then kissed her once more before leaving.

Melinda watched him pull out of the driveway and disappear down the street. Just after he left, her mom pulled up.

"Melinda!" Beth called as she and the twins walked into the house.

"In here." Melinda's voice flowed from the kitchen.

Beth found her sitting at the table, eating a snack while doing homework. "Hey, sweetie. Can you help me with dinner?" Beth asked, placing grocery bags on the counter.

"Sure." Melinda smiled. She set aside her books and helped her mom get dinner on the table.

"Abate."

"To reduce in amount." Maddie answered, sitting at the table.

"Burnish." Melinda said, rinsing the vegetables.

"Uh, to polish. To make smooth and straight." Maddie replied.

"Good." Melinda smiled. It was a weekly thing for Melinda to help Maddie with her vocabulary. It was one of the many things they bonded over. Melinda placed the vegetables on the cutting board and started chopping. "Complacent."

Beth was leaning against the kitchen counter, watching her daughters. She was so proud to have such wonderful kids, especially Melinda. She was always there when she needed her.

Melinda caught her mother staring at her. "What? Am I cutting them too thick?" she looked nervously at the carrots she was chopping.

"No, no. You're doing fine." Beth smiled. "I'm just so proud of you."

Melinda smiled. "For cutting carrots? Well, it is a tough job."

Beth laughed softly, then walked over to Melinda, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm proud of everything you do."

Melinda turned and kissed her mom's cheek. Beth gave her a tight squeeze.

"Mom!" Mike came running in. "I have to be at school for a the meeting. Dad said he would take me, but he isn't here. I'm gonna be late!"

Beth chuckled. "Alright, honey. I'll take you."

"I'll finish dinner and call Dad." Melinda offered.

"Thanks, Mel. We'll be back soon." Beth said, walking out of the kitchen after Mike.

Melinda looked over at Maddie. "Looks like it's just you and me, kid."

"That's fine by me." Maddie smiled. "You know, we never went on that shopping trip."

"No, we didn't. Will you be my date Saturday?" Melinda asked.

"Won't Jim get jealous?" Maddie teased her.

Melinda laughed. "What Jim doesn't know won't hurt him."

The two girls worked together to make dinner and set the table. By the time they were finished, the rest of the family was home and they sat down together to enjoy another peaceful meal.

(((o)))

The rest of the week zoomed by. The sun warmed the town of Grandview, eliminating shadows from mostly every crevice. It was Saturday, and the Gordon family was spending the day in leisure.

"We're leaving now." Melinda said as she and Maddie made their way to the door.

"Alright. Have fun." Tom called from the living room.

The girls threw a 'bye!' over their shoulders and went out to Melinda's car.

As they pulled out of the driveway, they didn't notice a car on the other side of the road. The driver's seat went up and a man watched them drive down the street. A grin slowly appeared on his lips.

(((o)))

The doorbell rang.

"I got it!" Tom shouted as he went for the door. "Hi. How can I help you?"

The man pulled out a gun and pointed it at Tom. "You can let me in."

**How was that chapter? Again, sorry for the hiatus. Well, here's chapter 18 and please be patient for the next chapter. I'm working on it. Drop a review. Thanks guys.**


	19. Broken Up Inside

**Hey, all. I'm back. This chapter took way longer than I thought it would. The fault is mine. However, I tried to speed things up as much as I could. This chapter isn't a Jimmel chapter. It's really an angsty, depressing chapter. Just don't hate me for its content. Anyway, here's the second to last chapter to 'No Ordinary Love'. Enjoy.**

_Previously on No Ordinary Love…_

"_Well, then it's settled. Let's go to Denny's." Shawn said, and everyone climbed into their cars._

_(((o)))_

_He crossed the room, to the other side, and stood to look at a photograph pinned to the dark wood that made up the wall. "I'm back, Melinda Gordon. And I'm coming to get you." He lifted the gun and shot a bullet, right between her eyes._

_(((o)))_

"_Wait," she said. She walked over to him and kissed him sweetly. "Are you mad at me?"_

_Jim smiled and pulled her close. "No. I understand. Work first, play later."_

"_Good." she smiled. "Unfortunately, play has to be tomorrow. My mom will be home soon."_

_(((o)))_

_Beth laughed softly, then walked over to Melinda, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm proud of everything you do."_

_Melinda turned and kissed her mom's cheek. Beth gave her a tight squeeze._

_(((o)))_

"_We're leaving now." Melinda said as she and Maddie made their way to the door._

"_Alright. Have fun." Tom called from the living room._

_The girls threw a 'Bye!' over their shoulders and went out to Melinda's car._

_(((o)))_

_The doorbell rang._

"_I got it!" Tom shouted as he went for the door. "Hi. How can I help you?"_

_The man pulled out a gun and pointed it at Tom. "You can let me in."_

(((o)))

Tom froze in his spot, paralyzed by the gun aimed at him. Many things ran through his mind at once. The safety of his family, the chances of his life being spared, the probability of getting to the phone to call the police…Although, as he thought about these things, he made no move to put them to action. He just stood frozen.

"Alright," Tom raised his hands in defense. "Just take it easy."

Shane pushed him into the house and they moved into the living room. Tom kept his eyes trained on him, making sure the gun was in sight.

"It took me some time to get to you, Tom. You had me put away for a while." Shane said. "Didn't think I would get out early, did you?"

"I'm sorry. I don't remember you." Tom spoke slowly.

Shane laughed. "Three years ago, we were in court. You prosecuted me for rape."

Tom registered the information and his eyes widened. "You're Shane Grey…You raped six girls before the last one pressed charges."

"Six girls." Shane sighed. "Would have been seven if your daughter didn't get away."

"What? What are you talking about?" Tom asked, growing more livid than nervous.

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Shane raised his eyebrows. "I'm surprised. I thought she would have ran to her lawyer daddy and spilled her guts."

"There's no way you tried anything with her." Tom shook his head in pure stubbornness.

"Of course I did. She was just my type. Brunette, innocent, pretty. She had the body, too." Shane smiled evilly.

"You sick bastard! How dare you!" Tom shouted.

"It was going great until some guy hit me over the head. I'm sure she would have been a good screw."

Tom lost it. "Shut the fuck up! You disgusting piece of shit!"

"Hey, watch what you're saying." Shane warned, raising his gun.

"What is going on in here?" Beth walked into the living room, having been startled by the yelling.

"Oh, is this your wife?" Shane smiled at her.

"Beth, get out of here now." Tom said. Beth laid eyes on the gun and froze. "Now!"

"Oh, Tom, relax. Let her stay and watch the show." Shane said, then looked at Beth. "You move one inch, and I will shoot him."

"Tom, what's going on?" Beth asked in fear.

"Well, Mrs. Gordon. I'm not sure what kind of information you and your husband share, but he's the man that sent me to prison." Shane spoke calmly, as if he was a respected guest. "It was quite unfair actually."

"Unfair?" Tom asked incredulously. "You're a rapist! You deserve to be in prison!"

Beth's eyes grew wide with fear. "Rape?"

"It's unfair to send someone to prison for something he can't control! That's unfair!" Shane shouted.

"Bullshit! You hurt women. There are ways to control yourself. You chose not to." Tom spat.

Shane raised his gun at Tom. "You don't know me!"

"Tom," Beth pleaded.

"You wronged me, Tom. And now you have to pay." Shane said.

Tom stared at the man in pure disbelief. Did this guy really believe he was an innocent man? "If you think you're the one in the wrong here, you're definitely insane."

"I may be insane, but I'm the one with the upper hand, aren't I?" Shane cocked his gun with an evil smirk.

Tom took a deep breath. "Okay, maybe we all just need to take a breath. Just calm down."

Shane laughed, loud and hard. "Oh, are you nervous now?" Tom and Beth just stared at him. "Well, you should be. I spent the past three years in that hellhole and there's no way I'm going back."

"Then why the hell are you here? You do one stupid thing, and you're going back." Tom said.

"I needed to let you know I'm out and I'm after the one girl I didn't get. I always get my girls." Shane spoke.

"The hell you will. You're not getting to her. I won't let you if it's the last thing I do!" Tom's voice grew louder with each word.

"What is he talking about?" Beth asked, her eyes blurring with tears.

"There's no need to let her know, Tom. She can't do anything about it." Shane said, then pointed the gun at Beth.

"Hey!" Tom yelled. "You don't want to kill her. It's me who put you away. Don't. Shoot. Her."

"You've cost me my life, always on the run. You took everything from me. Now, you watch me take everything from you." And with that, Shane pulled the trigger and Beth went down.

"NO!" Tom screamed as he watched Beth drop to the floor, blood pouring out of her chest. Her eyes were open, frozen in fear. Tom made an attempt to run over to her, but the gun was aiming at him again.

"Uh-uh. Don't think about it. I've still got someone on my list." Shane said. He was no longer smiling. As a matter of fact, he looked pain, as if he didn't want to do what he was doing. Tom saw this and tried to work it to his advantage.

"Shane," he said. "Just let this go. You don't want to hurt anyone one else. This is all a big misunderstanding."

"You don't know," Shane spoke, his voice strained. "How hard it was to live with people who didn't love you. People who constantly put you down and call you worthless and make you wish you were _never _born. I had to grow up with people who made me feel like I was a piece of trash they were too ashamed to be seen with; yet, they couldn't throw me away. I just wanted to feel like I meant something. Like I was important."

"I understand, Shane, I really do. But raping girls was not the way to make you feel important." Tom said.

"I just felt superior. It felt like the only way to make me feel good." Shane said, tears gradually spilling over his cheeks.

"No, it wasn't the only way. You can stop this habit. It's not too late. You're strong. Don't let what your parents did to you control your life. You're an adult now. You can make your own decisions and I can get you help." Tom took cautious toward him.

Shane shook his head. "What if I can't stop? What if I can't control myself?"

"You can. You're not worthless or weak. You're parents were wrong." Tom stood in front of Shane now. He had his hands raised in defense. He slowly put one hand up and pushed the gun down. "It's okay."

Shane began to give in and allowed his hand to drop to his side. Tom sighed inaudibly and reached for the gun.

"Dad?" a small voice flowed into the room.

Shane jumped and the gun was fired, sending a bullet right into Tom's stomach. He grunted painfully and clutched his stomach. Shane whipped around to Mike standing in the hall. He freaked out and pulled the trigger. Mike ducked out of the way and only managed to get grazed by the bullet.

"Mike!" Tom choked out.

Shane was about to run when Tom grabbed him, trying to get the gun. The two men wrestled onto the floor. Tom used all his energy to fight him. In the midst of it all, the gun went off.

(((o)))

They were just exiting 'American Eagle' when Melinda's cell phone rang in her pocket. "Hang on, Maddie." They stopped walking as she pulled her phone out. "Hello?"

"Is this Melinda Gordon?" an unfamiliar female voice spoke.

"Yes?"

"We need you to come down to Mercy Hospital." The woman said.

"Uh, okay. I'll be right there." she hung up and grabbed Maddie's hand, practically power walking out of the mall.

"What's going on?" Maddie asked as they got into Melinda's car.

"I don't know." Melinda answered.

The drive wasn't far since the hospital was about five minutes from the mall. The two girls jumped out of the car and raced into the hospital.

Melinda approached the front desk. "Uh, hi. I was called, like, ten minutes ago and they told me to come down here."

Before the receptionist could say a word, they heard a voice. "Melinda!"

They turned to see Mike sitting in the waiting room. They ran over to him. "What happened?" Melinda asked anxiously, seeing Mike's arm all bandaged up.

"He tried to kill me…He killed Mom…She's dead…" he rambled, tears slowly falling from his eyes.

"Dead? What do you mean Mom's dead?" Maddie began to panic.

"H-he shot her…I saw her…on the floor." Mike sobbed.

Melinda's heart was beating so rapidly, she could barely catch her breath. "Okay, Mike, calm down and tell me what happened."

Mike took a few deep breaths. "I was in my room and I heard noises. It sounded like arguing. The voices were getting louder and louder, so I went downstairs and saw a man. He had a gun and he was pointing it at Dad. I freaked out and ran back upstairs. I called 911 and while I was talking to them, I heard a gun shot. I left the phone upstairs and when I looked into the living room, I saw Mom on the floor…" he began to choke up again. "She was gone. I called for Dad and the man turned around and shot at me. I only got grazed. The doctor said it wasn't too deep, but I needed minor stitches. When I looked back into the living room, Dad and the man were on the floor, fighting. A few more shots were fired and I saw Dad had gotten hit, too."

By now, Maddie was crying. Melinda pulled her and Mike into a hug and they cried. Melinda tried not to cry herself, but she couldn't stop the tears. Soon, a doctor walked out of an emergency room across the hall. He spotted the three of them and went into the waiting room.

"Excuse me. Are you Melinda Gordon?" The doctor asked politely.

"Uh, yes." Melinda wiped her eyes clear of tears and stood up.

"Mike, here, gave me your number to call you. Can I talk to you in private?" He gestured to the hall.

"I'll be right back. Umm, call Jim." Melinda told her siblings, then followed the doctor out of the waiting room.

"What's going on?" Melinda asked nervously.

The doctor looked at her and sighed sorrowfully. "Well, I'm sure you know there was a shoot out at your house." When she nodded, he continued. "Three people were wheeled in here. One was your mother, one was your father, and one was the shooter. I'm very sorry, Melinda. You're mother was already gone before the ambulance even arrived at your house."

Melinda closed her eyes and bent her head in despair, the tears spilling over the rims of her eyes. She took a breath and looked back up at the doctor. "What about my father?"

"He's in very critical condition. He lost a lot of blood and the bullet went right into an organ. He's going into surgery as we speak and we'll try to get the bullet out safely. But, the chances of him making it through are very, very slim."

Melinda nodded. There was still some hope that her father might make it out alive. "And the shooter?"

"He was dead on arrival." the doctor said. "I probably shouldn't say this, but I hope that gives you some closure."

"Thank you." she sniffled.

"I have to get back to my rounds. If you need anything, just page me." He handed her his card.

_Dr. Raymond O'Hara _she read. "I will."

With one last sympathetic smile, the doctor was on his way. Melinda stood in her spot for a moment, willing herself not to cry anymore. She had to be strong. For Mike and Maddie. She looked into the waiting room and saw them sitting there. They were holding hands, silently giving each other comfort. She sighed and shook her head. _This can't be happening, _she thought to herself.

"Mel," A voice called out to her.

She turned around to see Jim walking up to her. As soon as she saw him, her face crumpled and the tears fell like an unchecked waterfall. He immediately pulled her into his embrace.

"I'm so, so sorry." he whispered into her hair.

"What am I supposed to do without my mom, Jim? What if my dad doesn't make it? Where will that leave us?" she sobbed into his chest.

"Shh…" He stroked her hair in a soothing way. "Just breathe. Let's just hope he makes it. That's all we can do for now."

She just cried and clung to him. After she had calmed down a little, he escorted her back into the waiting room where Mike and Maddie were sitting.

"Hey, kiddos." Jim smiled softly.

Mike and Maddie jumped into his arms and cried. Jim pulled Melinda into the hug and the four just stood there, huddled together.

(((o)))

Two hours later, the four are still sitting in the waiting room, anxious for Tom Gordon to wake up. He hasn't since he got out of surgery. Melinda's heart wouldn't stop pounding in her chest. The fear that he won't wake up was screaming in her head and it made her feel slightly nauseous. Mike and Maddie talked amongst themselves every so often, trying to distract each other from the situation they've been put in. Jim had his eyes on Melinda. He watched as she stared blankly at the floor, her leg shaking continuously. Although her face remained expressionless, he could tell she was breaking down inside. Jim placed a hand on her leg to steady it. Melinda looked at him.

"Remember what I said. Just breathe." He gave her a crooked smile.

She couldn't help but smile in response. Jim just radiated happiness, even when everything else felt so sad.

"Melinda," The doctor walked in. "Your father is awake. He wants to see you kids."

"Go," Jim whispered. "I'll be here."

She nodded and grabbed Maddie's hand. Mike walked ahead of them. Once they entered the room, Melinda's heart dropped. There on the bed, laid Tom, barely alive.

"Daddy," she choked out.

Tom slowly opened his eyes and saw his three kids standing in the doorway. "Hey."

Mike was the first to move. He walked over to his father's bedside and touched Tom's hand. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, son. How are you?" Tom replied.

"It was nothing." Mike shrugged, glancing at his bandaged arm. "It hurts a little, but not too much."

"That's good." Tom smiled, then looked over at Maddie. "Don't cry, honey."

As if to prompt her, Maddie's lip quivered and more tears cascaded down her cheeks.

"You know you have to be strong. For your brother and sister. You all have to be strong for each other." Tom said. "You're all each other has now."

"Dad, please don't talk like that." Melinda said.

"Mel," Tom gave a small smile. "Why didn't you tell me what Shane did to you?"

She froze and fear made her eyes grow wide. "How did you know?"

"He's the one who did all this. Why didn't you tell me?" Tom said.

"Because I didn't want anyone to know." Melinda cried. "Everyone would look at me differently and treat me differently. I just didn't want to look vulnerable in your eyes." She dropped her head in shame. "Besides, I was too embarrassment to say anything anyway."

"Melinda," Tom spoke, making her look at him. "There is nothing you could do or say that would change the way I look at you in my eyes, none of you." He looked at the two younger ones. "I love you and you could have always came to me with anything. You should have known that."

"I'm sorry you had to find out." Melinda whispered.

"It's okay, Mel. At least you got away in time. That's all that matters. And the fact that you've survived all these years knowing that things could have gone differently, that was a brave thing to live with. I'm so proud of you. Of everything you've become. Always remember that."

Melinda closed her eyes in grief.

"I'm proud of all of you." Tom smiled weakly one last time, before his eyes drooped close for that final time. The machine line went dead and the droning sound resonated in the room.

"Dad…Dad!" Maddie cried, but Tom didn't wake up.

Mike shook him in attempt to bring him back to consciousness. Melinda pushed the nurse button and a few seconds later, a nurse ran in, along with Dr. O'Hara.

"Dad, wake up!" Mike yelled. "Don't leave!"

"Get the paddles!" Dr. O'Hara shouted.

Melinda pulled him and Maddie back as a group of nurses rushed in with the paddles. Dr. O'Hara rubbed the paddles together and pressed them to Tom's chest. He bucked off the bed and fell back down, still unmoving. Mike and Maddie turned their faces into Melinda's shoulders and cried uncontrollably. Dr. O'Hara rubbed the paddles together again and repeated the task. No sign of life came from Tom. The machine still signaled that he was gone.

Dr. O'Hara looked solemnly at Melinda. "I'm sorry."

Melinda closed her eyes and hid her face in Maddie's hair. Their mother was gone, and now, so was their father. The family was broken. They were all alone.

**Yeah, I know. It was terribly sad. I'm extremely late with an update and it had to be this kind of chapter, right? Well, I'm trying hard to update faster. I have one more chapter left to this story and then there's a sequel. So, be happy that it doesn't exactly end on a depressing note. **

**I'm headed up to New York this week, so I won't update until I get back, but I will try to post the next chapter as soon as possible. Anyway, review! Thanks guys.**

**Oh, and Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope it's as beautiful as mine is.**


	20. Parting Sorrows

**Alright. Here it is. The FINAL chapter of _No Ordinary Love_. I've been thinking about writing a sequel to it, but it depends on the feedback to the last chapters of this story. So please enjoy.**

The week following the shooting was one full of anger, tears, and despair. It was full of tragedy, but mostly it was filled with silence. No one talked. Not Melinda, not Mike or Maddie. None of their friends. Jim would come around every once in a while to check up on them, but no one would talked to him beyond polite words. It was a painful time for everyone, not just the Gordon children.

A few hours after Tom had passed away, his brother arrived at the hospital. Keith Gordon had been staying with the kids for the past week. He, too, was grieving for the death of his brother and his sister-in-law. The aftermath of the incident shook quite a lot of people, and changed some lives.

"Melinda?" Keith spoke softly. He gently pushed her bedroom door opened to see her curled up in her bed, staring at nothing in particular. "Uh, dinner's ready. Come down when you're ready."

"I'm not hungry." she whispered.

Keith sighed. "Okay. But, uh, you should eat something. You haven't eaten since yesterday."

"I will." she answered.

"Alright." he said. He was about to close the door, but then turned back to Melinda. "I hope we will be finished packing by the end of next week. How much have you gotten done?"

She didn't answer at first. A moment later, Melinda turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling, a tear falling from the corner of her eye. "I have all my clothes packed up…and I started on everything else already."

Keith nodded. "Maddie's about finished, but Mike is taking a while to get there."

"He doesn't want to leave. And he's still angry, not that I blame him." she said.

He sighed. "I know. I completely understand. But if there was a way to let you guys stay, then you would."

"I know. It doesn't make it any easier, though."

Keith didn't get a chance to reply. The doorbell rang. With one last look at Melinda, he turned to leave. A few minutes later, there was a knock at her door.

"I know you probably don't want any visitors…"

Melinda turned toward the door. "It's okay."

Jim let out an inaudible sigh. He walked over to the bed and sat down. He cautiously reached for her hand and when she didn't pull away, he put it to his lips and kissed it.

"How are you?" he asked.

"I'm getting really tired of people asking me that." she said.

"I'm sorry." He looked down.

"No, I am. I'm just not in the greatest mood."

"It's expected." He gave a small, sympathetic smile. "Can I lay down?"

She smiled a little and pulled him down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm not really. I can't function properly." Melinda sighed, her tears clouding her eyes. "I can't even leave my bed."

"Sweetie, it's okay." He put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "You can let it out. I know it's difficult, but I can't imagine what it would be like. I'm here for you, though."

"I know," Melinda sniffled. "And I'm really grateful. I'm just…I don't know how I feel exactly."

"You don't have to feel anything right now. Just let me hold you." He whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear, and pulled her closer.

It was quiet. Neither knew what to say to fill the silence. Jim just lay there, holding her, hoping she would make it through this disaster. The last thing he wanted was for her to join her parents. It would be hard, though, seeing as she wouldn't be there with him for much longer. When he heard that she was moving all the way to Washington to live with her uncle, it was like a knife to his heart. He had tried to come up with a way for her to stay, but all plans had holes in them. Mike and Maddie needed their sister in order to cope. Melinda also needed her siblings. They were all each other had left. Jim couldn't break that up, no matter how much he wanted Melinda to stay with him forever.

Melinda felt aches all over her body. Since her parents died, all she did was cry. She cried for every memory her family made together. She cried for everything she ever did or said that she now regretted. Most importantly, she cried for never being able have her mother and father close to her again. Who would protect her now? Sure, she had her Uncle and Aunt Val, but they didn't even come close to the bond she shared with her parents. And just like that, they were ripped out of her life. Worst of all, they died with the last thoughts of how she was almost raped. The man that victimized her killed her parents and she would have to live with that the rest of her life.

A sob escaped her throat, even though she tried to resist. Jim's arms tightened around her, his hand rubbing her back soothingly. Then there was Jim. She had to leave behind the first guy she ever truly loved. They were supposed to be together forever. It was their unspoken promise. Yes, they had told each other they would stay together, but neither knew just how much the other meant it. When Melinda found out she had to move to Washington, it felt like her heart had been ripped out and stomped on. She had begged her Keith to let her stay, but it just wasn't plausible. She needed to be with the last of her family. They all needed each other. She and Jim would just find a way to make it through the separation.

(((o)))

Junior year was now finished and everyone was excited for the summer ahead. Well, almost everyone. Jim was not looking forward to it at all. Even a day without Melinda was hell, and now he doesn't even know the next time they'll see each other. Their friends were heartbroken as well. Melinda was a part of their families, too. There wasn't a dry eye in the bunch when they all went over to Melinda's house one afternoon to say goodbye.

"Now who's going to help me with my math homework? You're the only one who could get me to concentrate." Andrea sniffled.

Melinda gave a watery smile. "It's time to take the training wheels off, kid. You've got to learn how to do it on your own."

They were all out in the backyard, lounging around on the patio. Couples were taking up lawn chairs and some were sitting at the table. Jim was sitting with Melinda on a lawn chair. He was leaning all the way back with her bracing against his chest. He had one arm around her shoulders with his hand resting on her hip.

"Well, what about me?" Holly cried. "Who am I going to go shopping with? No one else will get me to shop sensibly."

"I'm really sorry, you guys. I hate that this has happened and it's not only affecting me." Melinda sobbed. Jim gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, don't be sorry," Will reached for her hand. "We should be a little more sympathetic. I'm not saying it won't be hard without you here, but we need to understand how hard it is for you."

"Thanks Will." Melinda smiled slightly.

That's how the afternoon was spent. Sorrowful tears and reminiscent laughter was shared between the friends. When it was time to go, each exchanged their goodbyes.

"Promise me you'll come back one day. I can't live with never seeing you again." Andrea said, tears falling slowly down her face. She was the last one to say goodbye.

"I promise one day, when I'm ready, I'll come back. You guys mean a lot to me." Melinda hugged her best friend. "I'll be back."

"You better," Andrea whispered.

Melinda saw everyone out and when the last car pulled out of the driveway, she locked the door. She let out a long, shaky breath.

"So tonight's your last night," a voice behind her spoke quietly.

Melinda slowly turned around and looked into the face she thought she'd look into forever.

"Yup," she whispered.

Jim smiled sadly. No matter how hard he tried to put on a brave face, she could see he was falling apart inside. "So, what do you want to do?"

Melinda stared at him for a moment before walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "I just want to spend the rest of my time with you."

"That can be arranged." Jim smiled. The couple stood in each other's arms for a while, neither willing to let go.

Eventually, they made their way into the living room and sat on the couch. The usual thing they would do was to watch a movie, but the two thought just being together and talking would be a better way to spend their last hours together.

"I wish there was some way you could stay," Jim sighed. They were laying on the couch, him flat on his back with Melinda resting her head on his chest, snuggled into his side. His right arm was wrapped around her, keeping her close to his heart.

"I know, Jim. Me, too." Melinda sighed. "But, there's nothing we can do. I'm really sorry this is the way it's ending."

"No, it's not ending. We're not over when you leave. We'll make it through this. What we have is no ordinary love. I believe that." he spoke vehemently.

"How can you be so sure?" She looked up at him. "How can you believe we'll be together again?"

"Because I'm not giving up on us. And neither should you. We're meant to be together, Mel. I'll find a way to get to you if you can't come back here."

"What about your family, Jim?"

"I can always come back and see them. They'll be there. I need to make sure you're still there for me." He slowly reached up to caress her cheek. "Besides, you're just as important to me as my family. You _are _my family."

Tears welled up in Melinda's eyes. "I love you so much. You will never know what you've given me."

"You'll never know what you've given me, either. I love you, too." he smiled slightly.

She reached up and kissed him. She put everything she felt into the kiss. He kissed her back just as unrestrained and pulled her body directly onto his. He touched her cheek again and felt they were damp. Pain ripped at his heart to know how close they were to being apart. The kiss escalated and before they knew it, they were in too deep.

"Make love to me," Melinda whispered as she pulled his shirt over his head.

Jim didn't even hesitate. Clothes were stripped away and love was ignited once again between the two lovers. It was the perfect way to say goodbye.

(((o)))

The next morning was the hardest day for the Gordon children. They were forced to say goodbye to the lives they knew and start fresh in a new place. As Keith was packing up the rest of the things in the moving van, Melinda, Mike, and Maddie took one last look at their old house.

"I'm really going to miss it here." Maddie said, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"Me, too, kid." Melinda said.

"This really sucks," Mike grunted, furiously wiping at his eyes.

Melinda hugged him from behind. "I know."

"Alright, guys," Keith shut helped the driver shut the door on the van. "We gotta head to the airport now or we'll miss our flight."

Melinda's bottom lip quivered. It was final. Her life was over. Well, most of it, anyway, and there's no way of getting it back. With one last look toward the house, she followed her siblings to the cab waiting to take them to the airport.

"Melinda!"

She turned around to see Jim running up to her. She ran to meet him halfway. "What are you doing here?"

"I know we said goodbye last night, but I needed to see you one last time before you left."

She couldn't draw her eyes away from the tears that rained down his cheeks. Her vision was getting blurry as well. "I'm glad you did."

He smiled and raised his hand. In it held a necklace. It was a silver heart-shaped locket, with a unique design on the front, strung onto a white-gold chain. Tears fell from her eyes. "It's something I bought a while ago, but never had the chance to give to you."

"It's beautiful," she cried.

Jim moved her hair out of the way and fastened it around her neck. "It's to remind you of me and to remind you that I love you."

"I will never forget you." She kissed him passionately.

Jim wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as possible. The moment didn't last as long as either would have hoped when Keith called out to her.

"I love you," Melinda whispered.

"I love you, too."

With one last kiss, they let each other go. Jim watched as she got into the cab and they slowly drove down the street. Melinda looked out of the back window with tears cascading down her cheeks. Jim's face was as tear-stained as hers. He stood there until the cab was out of sight.

Jim sighed. "Goodbye."

**I can't tell you how much I loved this story. The ending was ridiculously hard to write. I hope I did the goodbyes perfectly, though. There will be a sequel called, **_**A Love to Prevail**_** and I hope you all will read it. But for now, **_**No Ordinary Love**_** is over and it will be missed. Please review. Thanks.**


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